Language background in early life may be related to neuropsychiatry symptoms in patients with Alzheimer disease.
The relationship between early life experience and the occurrence of neuropsychiatry symptoms (NPSs) in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) is unclear.



From 2012 to 2014, we prospectively recruited 250 patients with probable AD from the memory clinic of Taipei Veterans General Hospital. All patients underwent standard assessments, including brain magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography, neuropsychological tests, neuropsychiatry inventory (NPI-Q) and related blood tests. A linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between NPSs and age, gender, disease severity, depression, language background (with or without Japanese education).



Among the 250 participants, 113 (45.2%) were women. Their average age was 82.6 years. Of all the participants, 93 (37.2%) had received formal Japanese education, whereas 157 (62.8%) did not receive Japanese education. The participants with Japanese education were slightly younger (83.1 ± 3.6 vs. 81.4 ± 3.4, P = 0.006), with a higher proportion of them were women (30.5% vs. 69.8%, P < 0.001) and fewer years of total education (10.8 ± 4.5 vs. 7.7 ± 3.2, P < 0.001), compared to the participants without Japanese education. NPI-Q scores significantly differed between the two groups (15.8 vs. 24.1, P = 0.024). Both disease severity and language background predicted NPI-Q scores.



Language background in early life may be related to NPSs in patients with AD, and this effect is more significant in patients with a lower education level than in those with a higher education level. More NPSs may be the result of negative effects on dominant language or early life experiences.
Neurological Center of Cardinal Tien Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Division of Geriatric Behavioral Neurology, CYRIC, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.|Fu Jen University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yi-Chien
YC
Liu
Section of Dementia and Cognitive impairment, Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, 112, Taiwan.
Jung-Lung
JL
Hsu
Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Faculty of Medicine and Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University Schools of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shuu-Jin
SJ
Wang
Neurological Center of Cardinal Tien Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Fu Jen University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ping-Keung
PK
Yip
Division of Geriatric Behavioral Neurology, CYRIC, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. k-meg@umin.ac.jp.|Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. k-meg@umin.ac.jp.
Kenichi
K
Meguro
Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. jlfuh@vghtpe.gov.tw.|Faculty of Medicine and Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University Schools of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. jlfuh@vghtpe.gov.tw.
Jong-Ling
0000-0001-9135-3351
JL
Fuh
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014705:Verbal Behavior
Alzheimer’s disease; Dementia; Language background; Language impairment; Neuropsychiatry symptoms