title: Relationship between cognitive impairment and behavioural disturbances in Alzheimer's disease patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which the patients can exhibit some behavioural disturbances in addition to cognitive impairment. The aims of the present study were to investigate the relationship between severity and rate of decline of the cognitive and behavioural impairment in patient with AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  54 AD patients were assessed at baseline and after 12 months with the Mental Deterioration Battery (MDB), the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-10).
  
  
  RESULTS
  MDB was more accurate than ADAS-Cog in the early diagnosis of AD. Conversely, ADAS-Cog was more sensitive at revealing the progression of cognitive decline. Depression, Apathy and Anxiety are the most frequent and severe behavioural disturbances at baseline. At follow-up Delusions and Irritability increased significantly. Significant correlations were observed between severity of cognitive impairment and behavioural disorders both at baseline and in the progression rate passing from T0 to T12.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severity and progression rate of behavioural and cognitive alterations in patients with AD are significantly associated.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Laboratory, Fondazione IRCCS Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy. l.serra@hsantalucia.it
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fadda
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Padovani
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lorusso
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pettenati
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caltagirone
authors.forename: Giovanni A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Carlesimo
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D017028:Caregivers; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results