Prediction of longitudinal functional outcomes in schizophrenia: the impact of baseline motivational deficits

Emerging evidence suggests that motivational deficits are a central component of negative symptoms in schizophrenia, and linked to functional impairment characterizing this illness. This study extends previous cross-sectional findings by examining the concurrent contributions of baseline motivational deficits, other negative symptoms, and other symptom domains on longitudinal functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Results of this longitudinal examination of 18 patients from our previous pilot study reveal that amotivation accounts for 74% and 72% of the variance in functional outcomes at baseline and 6-month follow-up, respectively. These findings further suggest a fundamental role for motivational deficits in predicting functional outcomes in schizophrenia.     

Perceived autonomy support,psychological needs satisfaction,depressive symptoms and apathy in French hospitalized older people

Based on the self-determination theory, the aim of the present study was (1) to provide a better understanding of older people’s psychological needs satisfaction in geriatric care units, then to link this information with depressive symptoms and apathy; (2) to examine whether the perceived autonomy support from health care professionals differs between needs satisfaction profiles; and (3) to investigate for all participants how each need satisfaction was related to depressive symptoms and apathy. Participants (N = 100; M_age = 83.33 years, SD = 7.78, 61% female) completed the measures of psychological needs satisfaction, perceived autonomy support, geriatric depression and apathy. Sociodemographic data were also collected. Cluster analyses showed three distinct profiles: one profile with low-moderate need satisfaction, one profile with high-moderate need satisfaction and one profile with high need satisfaction. These profiles are distinct, and did not differ in terms of participants' characteristics, except gender. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed that participants with low-moderate need satisfaction profile have significantly higher level of depressive symptoms and apathy, and lower levels of perceived autonomy support than participants of the two other profiles. Moreover, for all participants, regression analyses revealed that both competence and relatedness needs satisfaction significantly and negatively explained 28% of the variance in depressive symptoms score and 44% of the variance in apathy score. Our results highlight the interest to examine more thoroughly the variables fostering autonomy-supportive environment in geriatric care units, and to deepen the relationship between competence and relatedness needs satisfaction and depressive symptoms and apathy.     

Influencia de la estimulación cerebral profunda en la carga de cuidadores de pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson

Introduction

Our aim is to assess the burden on caregivers of patients with Parkinson's disease treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) compared to those caring for patients at advanced stages and undergoing other treatments. We have also assessed the variables associated with presence of caregiver overload.

淡漠评定量表-照顾者版用于养老院阿尔茨海默病患者的因子分析

目的 探索淡漠评定量表-照顾者版（AES-I）在养老院阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者中的因子结构。方法 通过整群随机抽样,使用AES-I对4所养老院290名AD患者进行调查,使用SPSS 24.0和AMOS 22.0进行数据分析。 结果 探索性因子分析提取3个公因子,累积方差贡献率85.58%。验证性因子分析结果显示修正后模型拟合度佳（RMR=0.012,RMSEA=0.047,GFI=0.935,AGFI=0.901,IFI=0.990,TLI=0.987,CFI=0.990,PGFI=0.618,PNFI=0.720,PCFI=0.731,〖XC小五号.EPS;P〗/df=1.632）。量表各维度组合信度为0.937-0.963、收敛效度为0.748-0.790,认知和行为维度的区分效度不佳,情感维度区分效度较好,总体上该模型内在质量较好。AES-I总的Cronbach’s α系数为0.976,各维度α系数为0.940~0.964;总的折半信度系数为0.968,各维度折半信度为0.947~0.956;总的再测信度为0.927,各维度的再测信度为0.777~0.895。结论 AES-I信效度良好,可用于养老院阿尔茨海默病患者淡漠症状的测评,但也存在维度间区分度不佳的缺陷,不利于对淡漠的不同亚型进行全面测量,国内学者应当立足AD患者实际情况,尝试开发适合我国国情、更好的淡漠评估工具。     

脑小血管病患者淡漠综合征的临床评定

目的 评价脑小血管病（cerebral small vessel disease,CSVD）患者淡漠综合征的发生情况及临床特征。 方法 回顾性收集2019年1-6月在解放军总医院第七医学中心神经内科诊断为CSVD的住院患者的 临床资料。采用2018年国际淡漠综合征诊断标准进行淡漠诊断。患者淡漠程度、认知功能、抑郁、白 质病变程度及陪护负担分别采用神经精神调查表淡漠分量表（neuropsychiatric inventory-apathy,NPI - apathy）或淡漠评价评定量表临床版（apathy evaluating scale-clinician,AES-C）、老年痴呆量表-认知评 分（Alzheimer’s disease assessment scale-cognition,ADAS-cog）、老年抑郁量表（geriatric depression scale, GDS）、白质损伤Fazekas量表、陪护负担量表（caregiver burden scale,CBS）进行评定,总结评价CSVD 患者淡漠综合征的发生情况及临床相关性。 结果 共纳入67例CSVD患者,平均年龄66.39±5.29岁,男性36例（53.73%）。23例（34.33%）诊断 为淡漠综合征,进一步分析淡漠综合征临床表现,以认知与行为活动减少发生率最高（86.96%）。 淡漠程度与白质高信号严重程度呈正相关（r = 0.301,P = 0.013）,与认知障碍程度呈正相 关（r =0.336,P =0.007）,与抑郁障碍无明显相关性（r =0.186,P =0.458）,与陪护负担呈正相关 （r =0.312,P =0.010）。 结论 淡漠综合征在老年CSVD患者中较常见,主要症状表现为认知障碍与行为活动减少,增加陪 护负担。     

Effect of music intervention on apathy in nursing home residents with dementia

This study examined the effectiveness of group music intervention in the treatment of nursing home residents with apathy. Apathy can clinically defined with a score of 40 or above on the apathy evaluation scale (AES). Seventy-seven residents were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The intervention group was given a music intervention programme, which included listening to traditional music, including nostalgic songs, and playing musical instruments three times a week, for a total of twelve weeks. Results demonstrated a decrease in apathy scores in the intervention group (z?=?4.667, P?<0.01), but not in the control group (z?=??1.810, P?>?0.05). Cognitive function, as assessed by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, was stable in the intervention group (t?=?1.720, P?>?0.05), but declined in the control group (t?=??1.973, P?<0.05). We conclude that music intervention has the potential to be an effective therapy for the treatment of apathy in the early stages of dementia.     

Alexithymia in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review of the literature

IntroductionIn this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the role of alexithymia in Parkinson's disease (PD) and its relationship to neurological, neuropsychiatric, cognitive, and neuroimaging correlates.MethodsThe database was selected using PubMed Services, Cochrane, PsycNET and Scopus and a number of key words. Further studies were sought by manually searching for secondary sources, including relevant journals and references in primary articles. The search was restricted to articles written in English between January 1980 and August 2015.ResultsTen studies reported that alexithymia prevalence was about double in PD patients compared to control subjects and that specific dimensions of alexithymia might be related to depression, anxiety, apathy and impulsivity. Some studies investigated the relationship between alexithymia and neuropsychological symptoms and found correlations with frontal and parietal lobe functions. Two studies on neurological features reported a link between alexithymia and disease stage or a specific motor subtype of PD; the remaining studies found that alexithymia was independent from neurological symptoms, dopaminergic therapy and laterality of motor symptom onset.Data on neuroimaging correlates and therapeutic intervention on alexithymia in PD patients are still lacking.ConclusionAlthough results suggest that alexithymia is a primary characteristics of PD, further studies with larger patient samples are needed to definitively clarify the impact of alexithymia on the clinical features of PD patients.     

Apathy in aging: Are lack of interest and lack of initiative dissociable?

Apathy is common in aging and generally defined on the basis of three dimensions: lack of initiative, lack of interest and emotional blunting. Curiously, no study until now has examined the associations and dissociations between these dimensions in elderly people (with or without dementia). These questions were addressed in two studies. In the first study, we explored the distribution of scores and the relationships between the three dimensions of apathy in 56 patients with dementia, focusing mainly on lack of initiative and lack of interest. Apathy was hetero-evaluated with the Apathy Inventory (AI), a scale widely used to assess the apathy dimensions in aging. In the second study, given the AI's limitations, we investigated in more detail the relationship between lack of initiative and interest in 115 elderly people using a new questionnaire specifically designed to assess these two dimensions. Results showed that lack of initiative was closely related to lack of interest (Study 1). Although we used a more specific questionnaire, these facets of apathy did not constitute two separable dimensions, but reflected a common main factor of apathy in aging (Study 2). Thus, the distinction between lack of initiative and lack of interest seems questionable. Only a multifactorial approach that includes the various psychological factors involved in apathy would enable one to gain a better understanding of the different manifestations of apathy and to highlight possible dissociations between them.     

Neuropathological sequelae of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and apathy: A review of neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies

Apathy remains a common neuropsychiatric disturbance in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) despite advances in anti-retroviral treatment (ART). The goal of the current review is to recapitulate findings relating apathy to the deleterious biobehavioral effects of HIV-1 in the post-ART era. Available literatures demonstrate that the emergence of apathy with other neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms may be attributed to neurotoxic effects of viral proliferation, e.g., aggregative effect of Tat and gp120 on apoptosis, transport and other enzymatic reactions amongst dopaminergic neurons and neuroglia. An assortment of neuroimaging modalities converge on the severity of apathy symptoms associated with the propensity of the virus to replicate within frontal-striatal brain circuits that facilitate emotional processing. Burgeoning research into functional brain connectivity also supports the effects of microvascular and neuro-inflammatory injury linked to aging with HIV-1 on the presentation of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Summarizing these findings, we review domains of HIV-associated neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric impairment linked to apathy in HIV. Taken together, these lines of research suggest that loss of affective, cognitive and behavioral inertia is commensurate with the neuropathology of HIV-1.