Reduced daytime activity in patients with acquired brain damage and apathy: a study with ambulatory actigraphy.
OBJECTIVE
Apathy is difficult to assess in clinical practice. Ambulatory actigraphy was used with the aim to measure locomotor activity during the daytime as a correlate of self-initiated action in brain-damaged patients with apathy.


METHODS
Twenty-four patients with acquired brain damage and high levels of apathy or low levels of apathy as well as 12 healthy controls were investigated using a parallel group design.


METHODS
Apathy was diagnosed after clinical observation and evaluated with the apathy evaluation scale. Locomotor activity was measured with a wrist-worn actigraph over 3 days.


RESULTS
High apathy patients showed significantly reduced locomotor activity and more episodes of inactivity (naps) during the daytime. Self-rated apathy correlated with daytime activity, nap frequency and cognitive (executive) deficits.


CONCLUSIONS
Ambulatory actigraphy is a promising method to evaluate self-initiated action in patients with apathy.
Müller
Ulrich
U
Department of Psychiatry, University of Leipzig, Germany. um207@cam.ac.uk
Czymmek
Jana
J
Thöne-Otto
Angelika
A
Von Cramon
D Yves
DY
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation; D009042:Motivation; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*