Adjunctive Therapy to Manage Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Moderate and Severe Dementia: Randomized Clinical Trial Using an Outpatient Version of Tailored Activity Program.

BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) such as aggression, apathy, agitation, and wandering may occur in up to 90%of dementia cases. International guidelines have suggested that non-pharmacological interventions are as effective as pharmacological treatments, however without the side effects and risks of medications. An occupational therapy method, called Tailored Activity Program (TAP), was developed with the objective to treat NPS in the elderly with dementia and has been shown to be effective. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficacy of the TAP method (outpatient version) in the treatment of NPS in individuals with dementia and in the burden reduction of their caregivers. METHODS: This is a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial for the treatment of NPS in dementia. Outcome measures consisted of assessing the NPS of individuals with dementia, through the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinician rating scale (NPI-C), and assessing the burden on their caregivers, using the Zarit Scale. All the participants were evaluated pre-and post-intervention. RESULTS: 54 individuals with dementia and caregivers were allocated to the experimental (n = 28) and control (n = 26) groups. There was improvement of the following NPS in the experimental group: delusions, agitation, aggressiveness, depression, anxiety, euphoria, apathy, disinhibition, irritability, motor disturbance, and aberrant vocalization. No improvement was observed in hallucinations, sleep disturbances, and appetite disorders. The TAP method for outpatient settings was also clinically effective in reducing burden between caregivers of the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The use of personalized prescribed activities, coupled with the caregiver training, may be a clinically effective approach to reduce NPS and caregiver burden of individuals with dementia.

Apathy in frontotemporal dementia is related to medial prefrontal atrophy and is independent of executive dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Apathy is the most common neuropsychiatric syndrome in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and encompasses cognitive, behavioral and affective symptoms. The neural basis of apathy in bvFTD is not completely understood. Previous neuroimaging studies have poorly considered executive impairment and dementia severity as possible confounding factors. Herein we investigated the neural basis of apathy in bvFTD through structural neuroimaging taking into account these factors. METHODS: We included patients with probable bvFTD (n = 21) and cognitively healthy controls (HC, n = 22). Participants were matched for age, sex and schooling. All subjects underwent a thorough neuropsychological examination, including tests for executive functions and social cognition. Apathy was assessed with the Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS). All subjects underwent 3T brain MRI. We investigated correlations between SAS scores and gray matter atrophy within the bvFTD group. Executive function (Frontal Assessment Battery) and disease severity were considered as covariates in neuroimaging analyses. RESULTS: Compared to HC, bvFTD patients had lower scores on global cognitive efficiency, executive functions and social cognition. All bvFTD had clinically relevant apathy (scores greater than 14 in the SAS). Performance in executive function tests did not correlate with apathy scores. The severity of apathy was negatively correlated with gray matter volumes in midline prefrontal regions, namely orbitofrontal cortex and both anterior and dorsal regions of cingulate cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Apathy in bvFTD is related to a specific network of prefrontal cortical areas critically involved in effort-based behavior for rewards and appears to be independent of executive dysfunction.

Differentiating Between Apathy and Depression in Patients With Parkinson Disease Dementia.

In Parkinson disease (PD), apathy and depression often overlap, making it difficult to differentiate between them. This study sought to analyze apathy and depression in patients with PD dementia (PDD). Forty patients were diagnosed with PDD using the Movement Disorder Society criteria. A statistically significant correlation was identified between worsening dementia and an improvement in depression ( r = .3695; r2 = .1365, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0985 to 05.894, P = .0044) and between worsening dementia and worsening apathy ( r = -.2578, r2 = .0664, 95% CI: -0.5025 to .0251, P = .036). Depression had a greater correlation with advanced motor symptoms ( r = .4988, r2 = .2438, 95% CI: 0.2218-0.7013, P = .0005]. In conclusion, depression was associated with less advanced PDD and more intense motor features, while apathy was associated with more advanced cognitive impairment.

Physical activity attenuates neuropsychiatric disturbances and caregiver burden in patients with dementia.

INTRODUCTION: A significant benefit from physical activity has recently been described in some patients who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of physical activity on neuropsychiatric disturbances in demented patients and on the mental burden of their caregivers. METHODS: Assisted by a public geriatric psychiatry clinical unit, we studied 59 patients with dementia. Patients were divided into three groups according to their diagnosis and level of physical activity. Data were assessed through a semi-structured interview. Patients were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire and the Baecke Questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and linear regression, with the level of significance set at 5%. RESULTS: Patients with Alzheimer's or vascular dementia who engaged in physical activity had fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms than those who did not. When compared to the control group, the caregivers of patients with vascular dementia who engaged in physical activity had a reduced burden. CONCLUSION: The regular practice of physical activity seems to contribute to a reduction in neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia patients and to attenuate the burden of the caregivers of those patients.

Physical activity attenuates neuropsychiatric disturbances and caregiver burden in patients with dementia

INTRODUCTION: A significant benefit from physical activity has recently been described in some patients who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of physical activity on neuropsychiatric disturbances in demented patients and on the mental burden of their caregivers. METHODS: Assisted by a public geriatric psychiatry clinical unit, we studied 59 patients with dementia. Patients were divided into three groups according to their diagnosis and level of physical activity. Data were assessed through a semi-structured interview. Patients were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire and the Baecke Questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and linear regression, with the level of significance set at 5 percent. RESULTS: Patients with Alzheimer's or vascular dementia who engaged in physical activity had fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms than those who did not. When compared to the control group, the caregivers of patients with vascular dementia who engaged in physical activity had a reduced burden. CONCLUSION: The regular practice of physical activity seems to contribute to a reduction in neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia patients and to attenuate the burden of the caregivers of those patients.