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- Title
Relationship between behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and cognition in Alzheimer's Disease.
- Authors
Starr JM; Lonie J
- Abstract
Background: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) are common. It is unclear whether associations are stronger with the absolute cognitive level or that relative to premorbid mental ability. Methods: The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was administered to carers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients underwent cognitive testing with the National Adult Reading Test (NART) to estimate premorbid IQ and 6 tests of current cognitive function. Results: 556 patients, mean age 77.3 years, had NPI scores. The total NPI score correlated significantly with most cognitive test scores, but multi-linear regression identified NART-IQ as the only significant cognitive predictor (beta = -0.17, p = 0.008). Principal component analysis of the 10 NPI domains extracted 3 components corresponding to mood, frontal and psychotic factors. The NPI mood factor correlated significantly with NART-IQ (rho = -0.14, p = 0.014) and lexical verbal fluency (rho = -0.09, p = 0.034) only. The NPI frontal factor correlation with NART-IQ approached significance (rho = -0.11, p = 0.053). The NPI psychotic factor correlated significantly with the Mini-Mental State Examination (rho = -0.15, p < 0.001) and the Hopkins verbal learning test (rho = -0.11, p = 0.013) scores. Conclusion: The relationship between BPSDs and cognition in AD is weak and largely explained by premorbid IQ. There is a stronger relationship between current cognition and psychotic symptoms. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.
- Publication
Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 2007, Vol 24, Issue 5, p343
- ISSN
1420-8008
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1159/000108632