TY - JOUR
T1 - Different apathy profile in behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease: a preliminary investigation.
AU - Masullo, Carlo
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Apathy is one of the most common behavioral symptoms of dementia; it is one of the salient features of behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) but is also very frequent in Alzheimer's disease. This preliminary investigation was aimed at assessing the type of apathy-related symptoms in a population of bvFTD and AD subjects showing comparable apathy severity. Each patient underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment; behavioral changes were investigated by the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), using the NPI-apathy subscale to detect apathetic symptoms. At univariate analysis, bvFTD subjects showed lack of initiation (χ(2) = 4.602, p = 0.032), reduced emotional output (χ(2) = 6.493, p = 0.008), and reduced interest toward friends and family members (χ(2) = 4.898, p = 0.027), more frequently than AD subjects. BvFTD displayed higher scores than AD on NPI total score (p = 0.005) and on subscales assessing agitation (p = 0.004), disinhibition (p = 0.007) and sleep disturbances (p = 0.025); conversely, AD subjects were more impaired on memory, constructional abilities, and attention. On multivariate logistic regression, reduced emotional output was highly predictive of bvFTD (OR = 18.266; p = 0.008). Our preliminary findings support the hypothesis that apathy is a complex phenomenon, whose clinical expression is conditioned by the site of anatomical damage. Furthermore, apathy profile may help in differentiating bvFTD from AD.
PMID:
22719755
[PubMed - in process]
AB - Apathy is one of the most common behavioral symptoms of dementia; it is one of the salient features of behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) but is also very frequent in Alzheimer's disease. This preliminary investigation was aimed at assessing the type of apathy-related symptoms in a population of bvFTD and AD subjects showing comparable apathy severity. Each patient underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment; behavioral changes were investigated by the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), using the NPI-apathy subscale to detect apathetic symptoms. At univariate analysis, bvFTD subjects showed lack of initiation (χ(2) = 4.602, p = 0.032), reduced emotional output (χ(2) = 6.493, p = 0.008), and reduced interest toward friends and family members (χ(2) = 4.898, p = 0.027), more frequently than AD subjects. BvFTD displayed higher scores than AD on NPI total score (p = 0.005) and on subscales assessing agitation (p = 0.004), disinhibition (p = 0.007) and sleep disturbances (p = 0.025); conversely, AD subjects were more impaired on memory, constructional abilities, and attention. On multivariate logistic regression, reduced emotional output was highly predictive of bvFTD (OR = 18.266; p = 0.008). Our preliminary findings support the hypothesis that apathy is a complex phenomenon, whose clinical expression is conditioned by the site of anatomical damage. Furthermore, apathy profile may help in differentiating bvFTD from AD.
PMID:
22719755
[PubMed - in process]
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - Apathy
KW - BPSD
KW - Frontotemporal dementia
KW - Alzheimer's disease
KW - Apathy
KW - BPSD
KW - Frontotemporal dementia
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/8712
U2 - 10.1155/2012/719250
DO - 10.1155/2012/719250
M3 - Article
VL - 2012
SP - N/A-N/A
JO - Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res
JF - Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res
ER -