1
|
Sabates J, Chiu WH, Loi S, Lampit A, Gavelin HM, Chong T, Launder N, Goh AMY, Brodtmann A, Lautenschlager N, Bahar-Fuchs A. The Associations Between Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Cognition in People with Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Neuropsychol Rev 2024; 34:581-597. [PMID: 37477839 PMCID: PMC11166771 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09608-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Most people with dementia experience neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), including anxiety, depression or disinhibition. There is growing interest in the relationship between NPS and cognitive impairment, but data is still limited. This study aimed to investigate the specific associations between NPS and cognition in people with dementia. MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO were searched for published, peer-reviewed studies of associations between at least one NPS and one cognitive ability in people with dementia. The quality of the studies was assessed with the NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's quality assessment tools. A meta-analysis was conducted using Robumeta package for R. Ninety studies were included. We found significant associations between NPS, global cognition and cognitive domains, e.g. apathy was associated with global cognitive and memory impairment; dysphoria was associated with worse attention; delusions with executive dysfunction. Increased NPS in people with dementia are associated with worse cognitive performance. There were few studies looking at associations between some neuropsychiatric clusters and cognitive abilities, and there was little research on causal relationships. Our review was limited by the inclusion of studies that reported associations in specific formats, and most included people with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, given the large number of studies, this is unlikely to have biased results. More research is needed that includes diverse people with different dementia syndromes. Registration: PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020165565.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Sabates
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Wei-Hsuan Chiu
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia
| | - Samantha Loi
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia
- Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Amit Lampit
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia
| | - Hanna M Gavelin
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Psychology, Umea University, Umea, Sweden
| | - Terence Chong
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia
- Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia
- St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Nathalie Launder
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia
| | - Anita M Y Goh
- National Ageing Research Institute &, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Amy Brodtmann
- Central Clinical School, Cognitive Health Initiative, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Alex Bahar-Fuchs
- The University of Melbourne, 151 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC, Australia
- Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Parrotta I, Cacciatore S, D'Andrea F, D'Anna M, Giancaterino G, Lazzaro G, Arcara G, Manzo N. Prevalence, treatment, and neural correlates of apathy in different forms of dementia: a narrative review. Neurol Sci 2024; 45:1343-1376. [PMID: 38015288 PMCID: PMC10942903 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-07197-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this review is to provide an overview on prevalence and clinical tools for the diagnosis of apathy, as well as on neurophysiological and neuroimaging findings obtained from studies in patients with apathy in different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular (VaD) and mixed dementia, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). METHODS Randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, controlled before-after studies, and interrupted time series from four databases (WebOfScience, Scopus, Pubmed, and PsycINFO) addressing apathy in adults or older people aged over 65 years of age affected by dementia were included. RESULTS The prevalence of apathy was 26-82% for AD, 28.6-91.7 for VaD, 29-97.5% in PDD, and 54.8-88.0 in FTD. The assessment of apathy was not consistent in the reviewed studies. Methylphenidate was the most successful pharmacological treatment for apathy. Neurobiological studies highlighted the relationship between both structural and functional brain areas and the presence or severity of apathy. CONCLUSION Apathy is a very common disorder in all types of dementia, although it is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Further studies are needed to investigate its diagnosis and management. A consensus on the different evaluation scales should be achieved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Parrotta
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Tervuursevest 101, 3001, Louvain, Belgium
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, 30126, Venice, Italy
- Young Epidemiologists of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SIGG) (YES) Working Group, Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Via Giulio Cesare Vanini 5, 50129, Florence, Italy
| | - Stefano Cacciatore
- Young Epidemiologists of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SIGG) (YES) Working Group, Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Via Giulio Cesare Vanini 5, 50129, Florence, Italy.
- Department of Geriatrics, Orthopedics and Rheumatology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, L.go Francesco Vito 1, 00168, Rome, Italy.
| | - Flavio D'Andrea
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Marianna D'Anna
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Giancaterino
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Lazzaro
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, 30126, Venice, Italy
| | - Giorgio Arcara
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, 30126, Venice, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Manzo
- IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Via Alberoni 70, 30126, Venice, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Azhar L, Kusumo RW, Marotta G, Lanctôt KL, Herrmann N. Pharmacological Management of Apathy in Dementia. CNS Drugs 2022; 36:143-165. [PMID: 35006557 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-021-00883-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Apathy is a highly prevalent symptom of dementia. Despite its association with faster cognitive and functional decline, decreased quality of life and increased mortality, no therapies are currently approved to treat apathy. The objective of this review was to summarize the drugs that have been studied for apathy treatment in patients with dementia (specifically Alzheimer's disease [AD], Huntington's disease [HD] and Parkinson's disease [PD] dementia; dementia with Lewy bodies [DLB]; vascular dementia [VaD]; and frontotemporal dementia [FTD]) based on their putative mechanisms of action. A search for relevant studies was performed using ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials that were available in English and included at least one drug intervention and an apathy measure scale. A total of 52 studies that included patients with AD (n = 33 studies), PD (n = 5), HD (n = 1), DLB (n = 1), FTD (n = 3), VaD (n = 1), VaD and AD (n = 4), VaD and mixed dementia (n = 1), and AD, VaD and mixed dementia (n = 3) were eligible for inclusion. These studies showed that methylphenidate, olanzapine, cholinesterase inhibitors, choline alphoscerate, citalopram, memantine, and mibampator are the only beneficial drugs in AD-related apathy. For PD-related apathy, only methylphenidate, rotigotine and rivastigmine showed benefits. Regarding FTD- and DLB-related apathy, initial studies with agomelatine and rivastigmine showed benefits, respectively. As for HD- and only-VaD-related apathy, no drugs demonstrated benefits. With regards to mixed populations, memantine, galantamine and gingko biloba showed effects on apathy in the AD plus VaD populations and nimodipine in the VaD plus mixed dementia populations. Of the drugs with positive results, some are already prescribed to patients with dementia to target other symptoms, some have characteristics-such as medical contraindications (e.g., cardiovascular) and adverse effects (e.g., gastrointestinal disturbances)-that limit their clinical use and some require further study. Future studies should investigate apathy as a primary outcome, making use of appropriate sample sizes and study durations to ensure durability of results. There should also be a consensus on using scales with high test/retest and interrater reliabilities to limit the inconsistencies between clinical trials. In conclusion, there are currently no US FDA-approved drugs that target apathy in dementia, so there is an ongoing need for the development of such drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laiba Azhar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Raphael W Kusumo
- Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Giovanni Marotta
- Geriatric Medicine Division, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Krista L Lanctôt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nathan Herrmann
- Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|