Brief checklist for non‐cognitive symptoms of dementia

Objective: To describe the development and psychometric utility of the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) checklist, a brief caregiver‐rated measure of the frequency of non‐cognitive symptoms of dementia of any type. Methods: Participants were 290 primary caregivers of patients referred to the Memory Clinic. Caregivers rated patients’ BPSD, cognitive symptoms and functional status. Patients underwent standardised cognitive evaluations. Results: High internal consistency reliability and good criterion and construct validity of the 14‐item BPSD checklist were established. Discussion: The BPSD checklist is a comprehensive, yet brief, psychometrically sound measure that may prove useful in both research and clinical settings.     

Caregiver characteristics are associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether caregiver characteristics are independently associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia (NPS) after accounting for patient characteristics. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Medicare Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration and Evaluation study. SETTING: Community-dwelling residents in eight U.S. cities. PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand seven hundred eighty-eight patients with dementia and their caregivers. MEASUREMENTS: Caregivers were asked about the presence of 12 NPS in patients with dementia. Caregiver predictors included age, sex, education, income, marital status, relationship to the patient, whether they lived with patient, number of hours per week spent caregiving, self-reported health, dependency in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), depression, and burden. Multivariate linear regression was used to determine which caregiver characteristics were independently associated with reports of more NPS in patients after controlling for the patient's age, sex, dementia severity, level of ADL dependency, and dementia type. RESULTS: Caregivers were on average 64 years old, 72% female, and 49% were the spouse of the patient (32% wives, 17% husbands). The mean burden score of caregivers was 15 (range 0-32, with higher scores indicating more burden), and 32% had significant depressive symptoms. Patients were on average 79 years old, 60% were female, and most had moderate to severe dementia. The mean number of NPS+/-standard deviation was 4.8+/-2.8. After adjusting for patient characteristics, caregivers who were younger, less educated, more depressed, more burdened, or spent more hours per week giving care reported more NPS in care recipients (all P< or =.005). CONCLUSION: Certain caregiver characteristics are associated with NPS, independent of patient characteristics, including dementia severity. Clinicians should consider the dynamics between patients and caregivers when managing NPS. Understanding how different caregiver characteristics influence NPS may help tailor caregiver education and interventions.     

Management of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

More than 50% of people with dementia experience behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). BPSD are distressing for patients and their caregivers, and are often the reason for placement into residential care. The development of BPSD is associated with a more rapid rate of cognitive decline, greater impairment in activities of daily living, and diminished quality of life (QOL). Evaluation of BPSD includes a thorough diagnostic investigation, consideration of the etiology of the dementia, and the exclusion of other causes, such as drug-induced delirium, pain, or infection. Care of patients with BPSD involves psychosocial treatments for both the patient and family. BPSD may respond to those environmental and psychosocial interventions, however, drug therapy is often required for more severe presentations. There are multiple classes of drugs used for BPSD, including antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, cholinesterase inhibitors and NMDA modulators, but the evidence base for pharmacological management is poor, there is no clear standard of care, and treatment is often based on local pharmacotherapy customs. Clinicians should discuss the potential risks and benefits of treatment with patients and their surrogate decision makers, and must ensure a balance between side effects and tolerability compared with clinical benefit and QOL.     

Herbal medicine for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: A protocol for systematic review

Background:Dementia is becoming a major public health problem worldwide with the aging of the world''s population. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), associated symptoms of dementia, not only predicts the poor prognosis of patients with dementia, but is also a major factor causing the care burden on caregivers, especially informal caregivers. For BPSD management, an alternative to existing psychotropic drugs is needed, given the benefit-harm ratio. Therefore, in this systematic review, we will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine for BPSD.Methods and analysis:Thirteen electronic databases will be comprehensively searched. Clinical studies reporting the efficacy (or effectiveness) and safety of herbal medicines in BSPD management published from their inception to December 2020 will be included. The primary outcome will be BPSD symptoms assessed by the validated tool. Moreover, total effective rate, daily living activities and quality of life of patients, burden and quality of life of caregiver, placement in a long-term care facility from home, and safety data will be regarded as the secondary outcome. Two independent researchers will perform the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment process. To assess the methodological quality of the included studies, validated tools according to its design, such as the Cochrane Collaboration''s risk of bias tool will be used. To perform meta-analysis, RevMan version 5.3 will be used, with mean differences for continuous outcomes and risk ratio for binary outcomes, and 95% confidence intervals. According to the heterogeneity and number of included studies, a fixed- or random-effects model will be used,Registration number:OSF (URL: https://osf.io/3u8ch), PROSPERO (CRD42020211000) (URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020211000).     

Behavioral symptoms,depression symptoms,and medication use in Michigan nursing home residents with dementia during COVID-19

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted nursing home (NH) care, including visitation restrictions, reduced staffing levels, and changes in routine care. These challenges may have led to increased behavioral symptoms, depression symptoms, and central nervous system (CNS)-active medication use among long-stay NH residents with dementia.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study including Michigan long-stay (≥100 days) NH residents aged ≥65 with dementia based on Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021. Residents with schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, or Huntington's disease were excluded. Outcomes were the monthly prevalence of behavioral symptoms (i.e., Agitated Reactive Behavior Scale ≥ 1), depression symptoms (i.e., Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ]—9 ≥ 10, reflecting at least moderate depression), and CNS-active medication use (e.g., antipsychotics). Demographic, clinical, and facility characteristics were included. Using an interrupted time series design, we compared outcomes over two periods: Period 1: January 1, 2018–February 28, 2020 (pre-COVID-19) and Period 2: March 1, 2020–June 30, 2021 (during COVID-19).

Results

We included 37,427 Michigan long-stay NH residents with dementia. The majority were female, 80 years or older, White, and resided in a for-profit NH facility. The percent of NH residents with moderate depression symptoms increased during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 (4.0% vs 2.9%, slope change [SC] = 0.03, p < 0.05). Antidepressant, antianxiety, antipsychotic and opioid use increased during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID-19 (SC = 0.41, p < 0.001, SC = 0.17, p < 0.001, SC = 0.07, p < 0.05, and SC = 0.24, p < 0.001, respectively). No significant changes in hypnotic use or behavioral symptoms were observed.

Conclusions

Michigan long-stay NH residents with dementia had a higher prevalence of depression symptoms and CNS active-medication use during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. During periods of increased isolation, facility-level policies to regularly assess depression symptoms and appropriate CNS-active medication use are warranted.     

The effect of ambient bright light therapy on depressive symptoms in persons with dementia

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of ambient bright light therapy on depressive symptoms in persons with dementia.
DESIGN: A cluster-unit crossover intervention trial involving four lighting conditions: morning bright light, evening bright light, all-day bright light, and standard light.
SETTING: The common areas of two geriatric units in a state-operated psychiatric hospital in North Carolina and in a dementia-specific residential care facility in Oregon.
PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six older adults with dementia.
INTERVENTION: Ambient bright light therapy was delivered through a high-intensity, low-glare lighting system installed in the public areas of study units at both sites. Each lighting condition was provided for multiple 3-week periods in a predetermined sequence.
MEASUREMENTS: Staff caregivers completed the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) in the last week of each 3-week period to provide information about participants' moods.
RESULTS: Analysis indicated a sex-by-treatment interaction ( P =.008). Significant sex differences were found in CSDD scores in response to evening light ( P =.003), all-day light ( P =.001), and standard light ( P ≤.001). Depressive symptoms were lowest for women and highest for men during morning light.
CONCLUSION: Findings do not support the use of ambient bright light therapy as a treatment for depressive symptoms in persons with dementia, although a subpopulation of persons with dementia may benefit from this intervention. It is likely that individual rather than unit-level interventions are a more effective strategy for delivering bright light therapy for this population.     

音乐疗法联合药物对痴呆患者精神行为症状的疗效观察

目的探讨音乐疗法联合奥氮平对阿尔茨海默病(AD)患者精神行为症状(BPSD)的疗效。方法收集2014年2月至2016年2月期间在北京老年医院精神心理科住院的伴有BPSD的AD患者89例,按照随机数字表分为两组:音乐治疗组(n=44)和对照组(n=45)。音乐治疗组在服用奥氮平同时辅以跟唱老歌曲的音乐治疗,对照组仅口服奥氮平,观察8周。在治疗前后,用日常生活活动量表(ADL)来评定日常生活活动能力,采用AD病理行为评分表(BEHAVE-AD)评定BPSD。采用SPSS 18.0软件进行数据处理。计量资料以均数±标准差(x±s)表示,组间比较采用t检验。结果组内比较,与治疗前相比,音乐治疗组治疗后的ADL评分显著增加、BEHAVE-AD评分显著降低,对照组治疗后的BEHAVE-AD评分显著降低,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05);组间比较,治疗后,音乐治疗组的ADL评分显著高于对照组,而BEHAVE-AD评分显著低于对照组,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论奥氮平联合音乐疗法对AD的BPSD疗效优于单用奥氮平,且辅以音乐治疗还可在一定程度上提高患者日常生活能力。     

急性缺血性脑卒中后认知障碍患者精神行为症状的特征性分析

目的探讨急性缺血性脑卒中后认知障碍(PSCI)患者精神行为症状(BPS)发生的特征。方法纳入2018年1月~2019年5月苏北人民医院神经内科住院的急性脑梗死患者105例,PSCI患者73例分为脑卒中后痴呆(PSD)组28例和脑卒中后认知障碍非痴呆(PSCI-ND)组45例,脑卒中后非认知障碍(非PSCI)组32例。PSCI患者又分为BPS组50例和非BPS组23例。根据英国牛津郡社区脑卒中规划分型,将急性脑梗死患者分为部分前循环梗死型(PACI)、后循环梗死型和腔隙性脑梗死型(LACI)。认知功能评估采用简易智能状态检查量表(MMSE)和蒙特利尔认知评估量表(MoCA),BPS评估采用神经精神问卷(NPI)。评价患者日常生活活动能力量表(ADL),并收集相关临床资料。结果PSD组和PSCI-ND组NIHSS评分、NPI总分、BPS发生率均明显高于非PSCI组,教育年限明显低于非PSCI组(P<0.05)。PSD组年龄明显高于PSCI-ND组(P<0.05)。BPS组ADL总分、MMSE总分和MoCA总分明显低于非BPS组[(86.90±10.50)分vs(92.61±10.10)分,P=0.032;(24.39±2.13)分vs(20.36±4.27)分,P=0.000;(17.04±4.23)分vs(22.00±2.65)分,P=0.000]。与非BPS组比较,BPS组PACI发生率明显升高(52.0%vs 4.3%,P=0.000),LACI发生率明显降低(20.0%vs 56.5%,P=0.002)。PSD组和PSCI-ND组幻觉、激越、抑郁、淡漠、异常运动和睡眠行为障碍比例明显高于非PSCI组(P<0.05)。PSD组激越、抑郁、淡漠和睡眠行为障碍比例明显高于PSCI-ND组(P<0.05)。结论PSCI患者较易出现BPS,其认知水平不同BPS发生率及表现不同,揭示了PSCI的临床异质性特点,为PSCI的治疗提供临床依据。     

痴呆及其心理、行为症状与血浆同型半胱氨酸水平关系

目的 探讨痴呆及痴呆心理和行为症状(Psychological and behavioral symptoms of dementia，BPSD)的可能发病机制，研究血浆同型半胱氨酸(homocysteine，Hcy)水平与痴呆及BPSD的关系。方法 阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer Disease，AD)、混合性痴呆(Mixed dementia，MD)、血管性痴呆(Vascular dementia，VD)和正常对照组各30例参加本研究。采用Alzheimer病行为症状评定量表(The Behavioral Pathlology in Alzheimer Disease Rating Scale，BEHAVE-AD)评定痴呆患者BPSD。采用高压毛细血管电泳紫外检测法测定经2，4-二硝基氟苯(2，4-dimntrifluorobenzen，DNFB)衍生后的血浆Hcy水平。结果 AD、MD和VD患者血浆Hcy浓度均显著高于正常对照组，血浆高Hcy水平的痴呆患者BEHAVE-AD总分较高。结论 血浆高Hcy水平不仅与痴呆的发生发展有关，且在痴呆患者BPSD的发病机制中扮演了一个重要角色。     

Identifying trajectories of depressive symptoms for women caring for their husbands with dementia

OBJECTIVES: To use an innovative statistical method, Latent Class Trajectory Analysis (LCTA), to identify and describe subgroups (called trajectories) of caregiver depressive symptoms in a national sample of wives providing informal care for their husbands with dementia.
DESIGN: Longitudinal.
SETTING: Community.
PARTICIPANTS: Respondents to the National Longitudinal Caregiver Survey were wife caregivers of veterans with dementia who were identified through Veterans Affairs hospitals nationally.
MEASUREMENTS: Mean number of depressive symptoms as measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D, 20-item scale).
RESULTS: Overall mean depressive symptoms of wife caregivers were 6.2 of 20, below the cutpoint (8 or 9/20) associated with clinical depression. Four distinct trajectories of caregiver depressive symptoms were identified. The trajectory with the highest number of symptoms (11.9 of 20), contained one-third of the sample. Another third had mean depressive symptoms virtually identical to the overall sample mean. The final third were divided between two trajectories, low depressive symptoms (mean CES-D, 3.0/20, 22% of sample) and very low (mean CES-D, 0.8/20, 14% of sample). Approximately two-thirds of the sample members were in a depressive symptom trajectory, with substantially higher or lower numbers of symptoms than the overall mean. Two subjective measures asked of wife caregivers (desire for more help, life satisfaction) were significantly associated with membership in the highest depressive symptom trajectory.
CONCLUSION: LCTA identified important depressive symptom subgroups of wife caregivers. A population-averaging method identified a mean effect that was similar to the effect in one-third of the cases but substantially different from that in two-thirds of the cases.     

Efficacy of Yukmijihwang-tang on symptoms of Alzheimer disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, which may lead to severe memory loss and other cognitive disorders. Yukmijihwang-tang (YMJ), a type of Korean traditional herbal medicine, has been shown to be effective against neurodegenerative diseases. Although a meta-analysis on the efficacy of YMJ on AD exists, the study had some limitations, and there have been several newly published studies assessing the effect of YMJ. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of YMJ as a treatment for AD through a meta-analysis.Methods:A systematic search of the following electronic databases will be conducted to identify eligible studies: MEDLINE (PubMed), Elsevier (EMBASE), The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Korean Medical Database (KMBASE), Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal, Citation Information by NII (CiNii), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). All randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy and safety of YMJ on the symptoms of AD will be included. Two independent reviewers will perform article retrieval, deduplication, data screening, data extraction, quality evaluation, and data analyses using RevMan version 5.4. The Cochrane risk of bias tool will be used to assess the quality of the trials.Results:This study will provide synthesis of the cognitive function measured with neuropsychological tests, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and activities of daily living (ADL) measured using validated scales. The clinical effective rate and adverse events will also be analyzed to assess the efficacy and safety of YMJ for treating AD.Conclusion:This systematic review will provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of YMJ in AD.Ethics and dissemination:Ethical approval is not required because individual patient data will not be included in this study. The study findings will be disseminated through conference presentations.     

Amnestic behavior in dementia: symptoms to assist in early detection and diagnosis

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated two amnestic behavior changes (repetitive questioning and repetitive actions) to determine their utility in screening for early dementia. DESIGN: Patient data were collected through a retrospective chart review. Comparison data from nondemented older people were collected prospectively from acquaintances of clinic patients. SETTING: The setting was a hospital-based outpatient memory disorder clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were older individuals with no cognitive impairment (n = 25), undetermined dementia (n = 50), and definite dementia (n = 25). The undetermined cases were followed for at least 1 year to assess for conversion to dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Amnestic behaviors were assessed using informant-report for all participants. The behaviors were examined for their ability to distinguish between definite dementia cases and noncases. They were further evaluated for the ability to differentiate undetermined cases that eventually converted to definite dementia from cases that did not convert. RESULTS: Results indicated that repetitive behaviors were common in early and more-severe dementia cases. Repetitive behaviors were relatively uncommon in cognitively intact older participants. In analyses of the full study sample, engagement in repetitive behaviors had high sensitivity (0.97) in identifying dementia cases. CONCLUSIONS: Assessing repetitive behaviors in patients may be a useful means for family members and primary care physicians to screen for early cognitive impairment. The assessment can help to identify individuals that should be evaluated further for dementia.     

Assessment and treatment of nursing home residents with depression or behavioral symptoms associated with dementia: a review of the literature

Depression and the behavioral symptoms associated with dementia remain two of the most significant mental health issues for nursing home residents. The extensive literature on these conditions in nursing homes was reviewed to provide an expert panel with an evidence base for making recommendations on the assessment and treatment of these problems. Numerous assessment instruments have been validated for depression and for behavioral symptoms. The Minimum Data Set, as routinely collected, appears to be of limited utility as a screening instrument for depression but is useful for assessing some behavioral symptoms. Laboratory evaluations are often recommended, but no systematic study of the outcomes of these evaluations could be found. Studies of nonpharmacological interventions out-number those of pharmacological interventions, and randomized, controlled trials document the efficacy of many interventions. Antidepressants are effective for major depression, but data for minor depressive syndromes are limited. Recreational activities are effective for major and minor depression categories. Neither pharmacological nor nonpharmacological interventions totally eliminate behavioral symptoms, but both types of interventions decrease the severity of symptoms. In the absence of comparison studies, it is unclear whether one approach is more effective than another. Despite federal regulations limiting their use, antipsychotics are effective and remain the most studied medications for treating behavioral symptoms, whereas benzodiazepines and antidepressants have less support. Structured activities are effective, but training interventions for behavioral symptoms had limited results. There are sufficient data to formulate an evidenced-based approach to treatment of depression and behavioral symptoms, but more research is needed to prioritize treatments.     

Effect of ferulic acid and Angelica archangelica extract on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and dementia with Lewy bodies

Aim: The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia place a heavy burden on caregivers. Antipsychotic drugs, though used to reduce the symptoms, frequently decrease patients' activities of daily living and reduce their quality of life. Recently, it was suggested that ferulic acid is an effective treatment for behavioral and psychological symptoms. We have also reported several patients with dementia with Lewy bodies showing good responses to ferulic acid and Angelica archangelica extract (Feru‐guard). The present study investigated the efficacy of Feru‐guard in the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and dementia with Lewy bodies. Methods: We designed a prospective, open‐label trial of daily Feru‐guard (3.0 g/day) lasting 4 weeks in 20 patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration or dementia with Lewy bodies. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were assessed at baseline and 4 weeks after the start of treatment, using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results: Treatment with Feru‐guard led to decreased scores on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory in 19 of 20 patients and significantly decreased the score overall. The treatment also led to significantly reduced subscale scores on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (“delusions”, “hallucinations”, “agitation/aggression”, “anxiety”, “apathy/indifference”, “irritability/lability” and “aberrant behavior”). There were no adverse effects or significant changes in physical findings or laboratory data. Conclusion: Feru‐guard may be effective and valuable for treating the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and dementia with Lewy bodies. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2011; 11: 309–314.