Validation of a Spanish version of the Lille apathy rating scale for Parkinson's disease.
BACKGROUND
To date, no rating scales for detecting apathy in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients have been validated in Spanish. For this reason, the aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of Lille apathy rating scale (LARS) in a cohort of PD patients from Spain.


METHODS
130 PD patients and 70 healthy controls were recruited to participate in the study. Apathy was measured using the Spanish version of LARS and the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). Reliability (internal consistency, test-retest, and interrater reliability) and validity (construct, content, and criterion validity) were measured.


RESULTS
Interrater reliability was 0.93. Cronbach's α for LARS was 0.81. The test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.97. The correlation between LARS and NPI scores was 0.61. The optimal cutoff point under the ROC curve was -14, whereas the value derived from healthy controls was -11. The prevalence of apathy in our population tested by LARS was 42%.


CONCLUSIONS
The Spanish version of LARS is a reliable and useful tool for diagnosing apathy in PD patients. Total LARS score is influenced by the presence of depression and cognitive impairment. However, both disorders are independent identities with respect to apathy. The satisfactory reliability and validity of the scale make it an appropriate instrument for screening and diagnosing apathy in clinical practice or for research purposes.
Neurology Service, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, IdiSSC, Universidad Complutense, Calle Profesor, Martin Lagos s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Rocio
R
García-Ramos
Neurology Service, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, IdiSSC, Universidad Complutense, Calle Profesor, Martin Lagos s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Clara
C
Villanueva Iza
Neurology Service, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, IdiSSC, Universidad Complutense, Calle Profesor, Martin Lagos s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
María José
MJ
Catalán
Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain.
Abilio
0000-0003-0467-8751
A
Reig-Ferrer
Neurology Service, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, IdiSSC, Universidad Complutense, Calle Profesor, Martin Lagos s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Jorge
J
Matías-Guíu
D000368:Aged; D057565:Apathy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013030:Spain