title: Alzheimer's disease behaviors from past self-identities: an exploration of the memory and cognitive features.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients have been reported by caregivers to display "behaviors from past self-identities " (BPSI); however, there is little known about these distinct behaviors. This study, the first to explore BPSI, hypothesized that BPSI were associated with self-memory and cognitive impairments. Its purpose was to determine if AD subjects with and without BPSI differed on measures of autobiographical memory, selective attention, and fluency. The cross-sectional design compared 35 moderate-stage AD subjects from an AD research center. Subjects demonstrating BPSI (37 percent) recalled significantly fewer recent autobiographical memories than AD subjects without BPSI. The results establish BPSI as a common behavior among moderate-stage AD patients and suggest that paucity of recent self-memories contributes to BPSI.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program, McAuley School of Nursing, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Therrien
authors.forename: Bruno J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Giordani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001325:Autobiographies as Topic; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index