[Apathy in Alzheimer's disease].
Apathy is the most common neuropsychiatry syndrome in Alzheimer's disease affecting 30-60% of patients. It can be defined as a loss of motivation and manifests in affect, cognition and behavioral changes, determining blunted emotional response, lack of insight and social retraction, respectively. In this paper, the clinical features and the therapeutic perspectives of apathy are presented. There is considerable overlap between apathy and depression in Alzheimer's disease, but both are considered discrete syndromes. Pharmacological interventions for apathy include psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate, dopaminergic agents and cholinesterase inhibitors, but the results are controversial and there is no established treatment.
Teixeira
Antônio Lúcio
AL
Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 30180-120 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
Caramelli
Paulo
P
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D009042:Motivation; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D013577:Syndrome
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors