Apathy is not associated with performance in brief executive tests in patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease.

Neuropsychological correlates of apathy in Alzheimer's disease (AD) may shed some light on the neurobiology of this behavioral disorder. Whereas previous research has suggested an association between apathy and executive functions in AD, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) cohorts point to an association with memory tests. We aimed to further investigate this issue in a sample of low educated, hitherto unexposed to cholinesterase inhibitors, aMCI (n=26) and mild AD (n=28) patients using brief executive tests, namely the Executive Interview (EXIT-25) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB).

The Pietà study: epidemiological investigation on successful brain aging in Caeté (MG), Brazil. Methods and baseline cohort characteristics.

Objectives: To present the methods and baseline characteristics of the Pietà study, a population-based survey investigating successful brain aging in the oldest-old.

Method: The study was conducted in Caeté (MG), Brazil. In 2007, 1,251 individuals aged 75+ years were living in the city and were invited to participate.

Brazilian caregiver version of the Apathy Scale.

Unlabelled: No Brazilian version of a specific scale for evaluating apathy in dementia is available.

Objectives: To introduce a translated version of the Apathy Scale (AS) for use with caregivers.

Methods: The instrument was formally translated and then administered to the caregivers of a small sample of dementia patients, in order to assess scale comprehensibility and make final adjustments.

Dementia caregiver burgen in a brasilian sample: Association to neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Unlabelled: Taking care of elderly demented individuals, especially when they present behavioral changes, can be very exhaustive for both family and caregivers. Generally, this leads to changes in the family lifestyle, and the caregiver must deal with a range of problems. Information on this topic in Latin America, including Brazil, remains scarce.

Normative data for healthy elderly on the phonemic verbal fluency task - FAS.

Unlabelled: Phonemic verbal fluency tests assess the production of words beginning with specific letters. Of these letters, the most frequently used are F, A and S. It is a sensitive test for assessing frontal lobe functions.