Longitudinal Course of Behavioral Problems During Alzheimer's Disease: Linear Versus Curvilinear Patterns of Decline
| Autor: | Lindy E. Harrell, Harry J. McCarty, Kathryn T. Goode, William E. Haley, David L. Roth, Kristine A. Donovan, Jason E. Owen |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2000 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Aging Cross-sectional study Progressive dementia Disease Developmental psychology Longitudinal Course Cognition Alzheimer Disease medicine Humans Dementia Cognitive deterioration Longitudinal Studies Cognitive impairment Aged Aged 80 and over Behavior Middle Aged medicine.disease Cross-Sectional Studies Female Geriatrics and Gerontology Psychology Clinical psychology |
| Zdroj: | The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 55:M200-M206 |
| ISSN: | 1758-535X 1079-5006 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/gerona/55.4.m200 |
| Popis: | Background. Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are commonly assumed to experience a linear decline in behavioral functioning that parallels progressive cognitive decline. However, some researchers have suggested that specific behavioral problems either decline at different rates or improve in late dementia. Methods. The present analyses examined 150 AD patients at an initial assessment, 61 of whom were also evaluated annually on two additional occasions. Measures of cognitive impairment and behavioral problems were obtained. Results. Cross-sectional results indicated curvilinear associations between dementia severity and certain behavioral problems (forgetful behaviors, and emotional and impulsive behaviors). Longitudinal analyses further indicated trends for curvilinear rates of behavioral disturbance across time, with some problem areas showing improvement as AD progresses through the most severe stages. Conclusions. Even though Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive dementia characterized by increasing cognitive deterioration, it appears to be inaccurate to expect behavioral functioning to show the same linear decline across time. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|