Fabricio Ferreira de Oliveira1, Jose Roberto Wajman2, Paulo Henrique Ferreira Bertolucci2, Elizabeth Suchi Chen3, Marilia Cardoso Smith3. 1. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Morphology and Genetics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: fabricioferreiradeoliveira@hotmail.com. 2. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil. 3. Department of Morphology and Genetics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract
AIMS: Primarily, we sought to verify correlations among assessments for cognition, behaviour and functional independence in a sample of patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Secondarily, impacts of education, APOE haplotypes, length of dementia, age and alcohol use over the neuropsychiatric assessment were estimated. METHODS: Patients with AD were assessed for demographic features, neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive test scores, functional impairment, caregiver burden and APOE haplotypes. Statistical comparisons were undertaken by way of Kruskal-Wallis test, linear regressions and Spearman correlations, significance at ρ < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients were included. Mean schooling was 4.21 ± 3.7 years, with significant impacts over cognitive tests. Mean age at examination was 78 ± 6.19 years-old, significantly influencing instrumental functionality. The mean length of the dementia syndrome was 5.4 ± 2.9 years, significantly impacting cognitive decline and functionality. Apathy was the most common behavioural symptom, negatively correlated with anxiety and delusions, and positively correlated with lifetime alcohol load. Patients with previous smoking or drinking habits were more likely to continue smoking or drinking later in life. APOE4+ haplotypes led to earlier dementia onset and significantly lower caregiver burden in mild dementia stages. CONCLUSIONS: Most correlations among test results were highly significant, confirming that cognition, behaviour and functionality are usually interrelated in all stages of AD. Caregiver burden was correlated with behaviour, but not with cognition, and was lower for patients with APOE4+ haplotypes in mild dementia stages. Education is a major impact factor for cognitive performance.
AIMS: Primarily, we sought to verify correlations among assessments for cognition, behaviour and functional independence in a sample of patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Secondarily, impacts of education, APOE haplotypes, length of dementia, age and alcohol use over the neuropsychiatric assessment were estimated. METHODS:Patients with AD were assessed for demographic features, neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive test scores, functional impairment, caregiver burden and APOE haplotypes. Statistical comparisons were undertaken by way of Kruskal-Wallis test, linear regressions and Spearman correlations, significance at ρ < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients were included. Mean schooling was 4.21 ± 3.7 years, with significant impacts over cognitive tests. Mean age at examination was 78 ± 6.19 years-old, significantly influencing instrumental functionality. The mean length of the dementia syndrome was 5.4 ± 2.9 years, significantly impacting cognitive decline and functionality. Apathy was the most common behavioural symptom, negatively correlated with anxiety and delusions, and positively correlated with lifetime alcohol load. Patients with previous smoking or drinking habits were more likely to continue smoking or drinking later in life. APOE4+ haplotypes led to earlier dementia onset and significantly lower caregiver burden in mild dementia stages. CONCLUSIONS: Most correlations among test results were highly significant, confirming that cognition, behaviour and functionality are usually interrelated in all stages of AD. Caregiver burden was correlated with behaviour, but not with cognition, and was lower for patients with APOE4+ haplotypes in mild dementia stages. Education is a major impact factor for cognitive performance.
Authors: Fabricio F de Oliveira; Elizabeth S Chen; Marilia C Smith; Paulo H Bertolucci Journal: Braz J Psychiatry Date: 2017-01-12 Impact factor: 2.697
Authors: Celina S Liu; Nathan Herrmann; Bing Xin Song; Joycelyn Ba; Damien Gallagher; Paul I Oh; Susan Marzolini; Tarek K Rajji; Jocelyn Charles; Purti Papneja; Mark J Rapoport; Ana C Andreazza; Danielle Vieira; Alex Kiss; Krista L Lanctôt Journal: BMC Geriatr Date: 2021-12-04 Impact factor: 3.921
Authors: Chama Belkhiria; Rodrigo C Vergara; Simón San Martin; Alexis Leiva; Melissa Martinez; Bruno Marcenaro; Maricarmen Andrade; Paul H Delano; Carolina Delgado Journal: Front Aging Neurosci Date: 2020-04-28 Impact factor: 5.750