Abstract

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), nonverbal aspects of communication become increasingly important in caregiver-patient interactions when the ability to communicate verbally is fading with progression of the disease. We therefore investigated the impact of cognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly apathy, on facial expression in AD. While overall neuropsychiatric symptoms were not associated with facial expression, apathy exhibited substantial correlations, even after controlling for cognitive deficits. Moreover, apathy appeared to moderate the influence of cognitive deficits: without considering apathy, cognitive deficits were associated with less specific facial expressions. After controlling for apathy, cognitive decline was related to increased facial expressiveness. In conclusion, apathetic symptoms appear to be specifically associated with facial expression in AD and thus could contribute to a disregard for patients' needs in everyday life.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Seidl U, Lueken U, Thomann PA, Kruse A, Schröder J

Institution

Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. u.seidl@klinikum-stuttgart.de

Source

American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias 27:2 2012 Mar pg 100-6

MeSH

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Alzheimer Disease
Apathy
Caregivers
Cognition Disorders
Disease Progression
Facial Expression
Female
Humans
Male
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22495337