title: Apathy associated with neurocognitive disorders: Recent progress and future directions.
abstract: Apathy is common in neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) such as Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Although the definition of apathy is inconsistent in the literature, apathy is primarily defined as a loss of motivation and decreased interest in daily activities.
  
  
  
  The Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART) Neuropsychiatric Syndromes Professional Interest Area (NPS-PIA) Apathy workgroup reviewed the latest research regarding apathy in NCDs.
  
  
  
  Progress has recently been made in three areas relevant to apathy: (1) phenomenology, including the use of diagnostic criteria and novel instruments for measurement, (2) neurobiology, including neuroimaging, neuropathological and biomarker correlates, and (3) interventions, including pharmacologic, nonpharmacologic, and noninvasive neuromodulatory approaches.
  
  
  
  Recent progress confirms that apathy has a significant impact on those with major NCD and those with mild NCDs. As such, it is an important target for research and intervention.
authors.affiliation: Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: krista.lanctot@sunnybrook.ca.
authors.forename: Krista L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lanctôt
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry & Research Institute Hospital, University Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Agüera-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing and Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brodaty
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases, King's College London, London, England.
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Yonas E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Geda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education, Ron and Rene Ward Centre for Healthy Brain Aging Research, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education, Ron and Rene Ward Centre for Healthy Brain Aging Research, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: Zahinoor
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Gad A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research, Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
authors.forename: Moyra E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mortby
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Chiadi U
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Onyike
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, North Little Rock, AR, USA.
authors.forename: Prasad R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Padala
authors.affiliation: 1(st) Department of Psychiatry, "Eginition" Hospital, Athens Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Antonios M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Politis
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing and Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine and VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Sultzer
authors.affiliation: Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Eleenor H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Abraham
mesh_terms: D057565:Apathy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003863:Depression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D009446:Neurobiology; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D059906:Neuroimaging; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Alzheimer's disease (AD); Apathy; Mild behavioral impairment (MBI); Neurocognitive disorders (NCD); neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS)