title: Behavioral symptoms in mild cognitive impairment as compared with Alzheimer's disease and healthy older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a clinical concept that categorizes subjects who are in an intermediate cognitive state between normal aging and dementia. The aim of this study is to characterize behavior in MCI compared with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy older patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a prospective, longitudinal study on behavioral symptoms of dementia and MCI was performed. The study population consisted of 270 MCI, 402 AD patients, and 108 healthy controls. Behavioral assessment was performed by means of Middelheim Frontality Score, Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale, Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Moderate-to-severe behavioral symptoms were present in 13% of MCI patients, as compared with 39% in AD patients and 3% in controls (p < 0.001). The general severity of behavioral symptoms was intermediate between controls and AD patients. The three most frequent symptoms in MCI patients were aggressiveness (49%), affective disturbance (45%), and anxiety (38%); in AD patients, the most frequent symptoms were aggressiveness (60%), activity disturbances (54%), and psychosis (40%). The prevalence and severity of frontal lobe symptoms, aggressiveness, activity disturbances, and delusions was intermediate between normal aging and AD. In addition, the severity of physically non-aggressive and verbally agitated behavior and the severity of depressive symptoms were also intermediate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The behavioral profile of MCI patients is characterized as an intermediate state between normal aging and AD for the prevalence and severity of certain behavioral symptoms. Follow-up is ongoing to test the hypothesis that behavioral disturbances in MCI predict progression to dementia.
authors.affiliation: Reference Center for Biological Markers of Dementia (BIODEM), Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Behavior, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van der Mussele
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Le Bastard
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vermeiren
authors.forename: Jos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saerens
authors.forename: Nore
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Somers
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mariën
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goeman
authors.forename: Peter P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: De Deyn
authors.forename: Sebastiaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engelborghs
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales