Different Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers - 5-Year Follow-Up.

Objectives: The care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) relies on family caregivers (FCs) who face increasing demands. This study aimed to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms in FCs.

Methods: 226 FCs and individuals with AD were followed up for 5 years as a part of the ALSOVA study.

Cognitive Performance at Time of AD Diagnosis: A Clinically Augmented Register-Based Study.

We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using real-world register data for identifying persons with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to describe their cognitive performance at the time of diagnosis. Patients diagnosed with AD during 2010-2013 (aged 60-81 years) were identified from the Finnish national health registers and enlarged with a smaller private sector sample (total  = 1,268). Patients with other disorders impacting cognition were excluded.

The CERAD Neuropsychological Battery in Patients with Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Compared with Normal Population and Patients with Mild Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: The usefulness of CERAD Neuropsychological Battery for describing the cognitive impairment in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is unknown.

Objective: To compare the cognitive profile of patients with iNPH to patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-matched cognitively healthy individuals by using the CERAD-NB.

Methods: We studied CERAD-NB subtest results, including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), between 199 patients with probable iNPH, 236 patients with mild AD, and 309 people with normal cognition, using age, education, and gender adjusted multivariate linear regression model.

Psychometric Properties of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory: A Review.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms cause a significant burden to individuals with neurocognitive disorders and their families. Insights into the clinical associations, neurobiology, and treatment of these symptoms depend on informant questionnaires, such as the commonly used Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). As with any scale, the utility of the NPI relies on its psychometric properties, but the NPI faces unique challenges related to its skip-question and scoring formats.

Network structures and temporal stability of self- and informant-rated affective symptoms in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Affective symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be rated with both informant- and self-ratings. Information from these two modalities may not converge. We estimated network structures of affective symptoms in AD with both rating modalities and assessed the longitudinal stability of the networks.

Third follow-up of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) cohort investigating determinants of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial wellbeing among the oldest old: the CAIDE85+ study protocol.

Background: The oldest old is the fastest growing age group worldwide and the most prone to severe disability, especially in relation to loss of cognitive function. Improving our understanding of the predictors of cognitive, physical and psychosocial wellbeing among the oldest old can result in substantial benefits for the individuals and for the society as a whole. The Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study investigated risk factors and determinants of cognitive impairment in a population-based longitudinal cohort, which was first examined between 1972 and 1992, when individuals were in their midlife, and re-assessed in 1998 and 2005-2009.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and activities of daily living in Alzheimer's disease: ALSOVA 5-year follow-up study.

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are related to activities of daily living (ADLs), but longitudinal studies are sparse.

Objectives: We investigated which NPSs were related to decline in instrumental ADLs (IADLs) and basic ADLs (BADLs) in a 5-year follow-up of individuals with AD.

Methods: ALSOVA 5-year follow-up study data of 236 individuals with very mild or mild AD at baseline and their caregiver were analyzed.

The Association Between Distinct Frontal Brain Volumes and Behavioral Symptoms in Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's Disease, and Frontotemporal Dementia.

Our aim was to investigate the association between behavioral symptoms of agitation, disinhibition, irritability, elation, and aberrant motor behavior to frontal brain volumes in a cohort with various neurodegenerative diseases. A total of 121 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, = 58), Alzheimer's disease (AD, = 45) and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD, = 18) were evaluated with a Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). A T1-weighted MRI scan was acquired for each participant and quantified with a multi-atlas segmentation method.

Cognitive Performance among Cognitively Healthy Adults Aged 30-100 Years.

Background/aims: To detect cognitive decline in older adults, measures of verbal fluency and verbal memory are widely used. Less is known about performance in these measures in younger persons or according to education level and gender. We investigated cognitive performance according to age, education and gender among cognitively healthy adults aged 30-100 years.

Relationships between Cognition and Activities of Daily Living in Alzheimer's Disease During a 5-Year Follow-Up: ALSOVA Study.

Background: Impaired cognition and activities of daily living (ADL) are core symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their relationship is unclear.

Objectives: To explore relationships between cognitive domains and functional ability during 5-year follow-up in persons with AD.

Methods: We analyzed ALSOVA study data from 236 individuals with very mild or mild AD at baseline.

The influence of the individual neuropsychiatric symptoms of people with Alzheimer disease on family caregiver distress-A longitudinal ALSOVA study.

Objectives: Family caregivers (FCs) face a variety of demands while caring for persons with Alzheimer disease (AD). Longitudinal studies identifying the specific AD-related neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) that contribute to FC distress are rare. We analyzed which NPS in association with care recipient and caregiver demographic factors are associated with FC psychological distress over a 36-month follow-up period.

The Progression of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease During a Five-Year Follow-Up: Kuopio ALSOVA Study.

Background: An improved understanding of the role of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has recently emerged. NPS lead to hospitalization and caregiver stress, but are more variable during the course of the disease than other symptoms. Knowledge about the role of specific NPS in disease progression and prognosis is especially limited.

Use of psychotropic medications in relation to neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognition and functional performance in Alzheimer's disease over a three-year period: Kuopio ALSOVA study.

Background: Psychotropic medications are widely prescribed to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our objective was to investigate the longitudinal associations between psychotropic medication use and NPS, cognition, and functional performance in persons with very mild or mild AD at baseline.

Methods: Data were collected as part of the prospective three-year study of home-dwelling persons with AD and their caregivers (n = 236 dyads).

Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test scores can be predicted from whole brain MRI in Alzheimer's disease.

Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is a powerful neuropsychological tool for testing episodic memory, which is widely used for the cognitive assessment in dementia and pre-dementia conditions. Several studies have shown that an impairment in RAVLT scores reflect well the underlying pathology caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD), thus making RAVLT an effective early marker to detect AD in persons with memory complaints. We investigated the association between RAVLT scores (RAVLT Immediate and RAVLT Percent Forgetting) and the structural brain atrophy caused by AD.

The Modified Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI-mod) for Patients with Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, Alzheimer's Disease, and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

While behavioral symptoms are both early and prevalent features of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), they can be present in other types of dementia as well, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and even mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI) was specifically developed to capture the behavioral and personality changes in bvFTD; it has also been modified into a self-administered caregiver questionnaire (FBI-mod). We examined the utility of the FBI-mod in differentiating bvFTD (n = 26), primary progressive aphasia (PPA) (n = 7), AD (n = 53), and MCI (n = 50) patients, and investigated how the FBI-mod may be associated with neuropsychological measures.

Quality of Life in relation to neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease: 5-year prospective ALSOVA cohort study.

Objective: To examine the association between neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) with self- and caregiver-rated Quality of Life (QoL) for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) during a 5-year follow-up.

Methods: The ALSOVA 5-year follow-up study included, at baseline, 236 patients with either very mild (Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) 0.5), or mild (CDR 1) AD, together with their caregivers from three Finnish hospital districts.

Self-Rated and Caregiver-Rated Quality of Life in Alzheimer Disease with a Focus on Evolving Patient Ability to Respond to Questionnaires: 5-Year Prospective ALSOVA Cohort Study.

Objective: To examine and compare self-rated and caregiver-rated measures of quality of life (QoL) in relation to disease progression in patients with very mild or mild Alzheimer disease (AD) and at what disease stage patient's ability to respond to QoL questionnaires with or without assistance begins to diminish.

Methods: 236 patients with very mild or mild AD and their family caregivers from three Finnish hospital districts participated in this prospective, longitudinal study with 5 years of follow-up. Three patient-reported instruments were used to assess QoL (the generic 15D, the Quality of Life in Alzheimer Disease [QoL-AD] questionnaire, and a visual analogue scale) as well as one caregiver-rated assessment of patient QoL (QoL-AD).

Use of Anti-Dementia Drugs in Relation to Change in Cognition, Behavior, and Functioning in Alzheimer's Disease over a Three-Year Period: Kuopio ALSOVA Study.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by deterioration in cognition, decline in physical function, and increase in behavioral disturbances. These symptoms are associated with dependence.

Objective: We investigated the use of anti-dementia drugs in relation to change in cognition, function, and behavior over a 3-year period.

Depressed Spousal Caregivers Have Psychological Stress Unrelated to the Progression of Alzheimer Disease: A 3-Year Follow-Up Report, Kuopio ALSOVA Study.

Objective: To explore family caregiver (FC) long-term psychological distress after Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis in a family member.

Methods: FC (n = 236) and patients with AD were prospectively followed up to 36 months after AD diagnosis. FC psychological distress was evaluated using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).

Early psychosocial intervention does not delay institutionalization in persons with mild Alzheimer disease and has impact on neither disease progression nor caregivers' well-being: ALSOVA 3-year follow-up.

Objectives: Early diagnosis, initiation of Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy and programs that support care of persons with AD at home are recommended. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of early psychosocial intervention on delaying the institutionalization of persons with AD. We also assessed the influence of intervention on AD progression, behavioral symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in persons with AD and caregivers.

Depressive symptoms are associated with analgesic use in people with Alzheimer's disease: Kuopio ALSOVA study.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) such as depression may be associated with pain, which according to the literature may be inadequately recognized and managed in this population. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with analgesic use in persons with AD; in particular, how AD severity, functional status, neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD, co-morbidities and somatic symptoms are associated with analgesic use. 236 community-dwelling persons with very mild or mild AD at baseline, and their caregivers, were interviewed over five years as part of the prospective ALSOVA study.

The Progression of Alzheimer's Disease Can Be Assessed with a Short Version of the CERAD Neuropsychological Battery: The Kuopio ALSOVA Study.

Background/aims: Measuring and predicting Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression is important in order to adjust treatment and allocate care resources. We aimed to identify a combination of subtests from the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Neuropsychological Battery (CERAD-NB) that best correlated with AD progression in follow-up as well as to predict AD progression.

Method: A total of 236 participants with very mild [Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) = 0.

Decreasing sense of coherence and its determinants in spousal caregivers of persons with mild Alzheimer's disease in three year follow-up: ALSOVA study.

Background: Sense of coherence (SOC) is associated with the capability to cope with caregiving. Our aims were (1) to describe the trajectory of SOC in aged spousal caregivers of persons with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) in 3-year follow-up and (2) to identify baseline determinants influencing SOC change.

Methods: Both AD (n = 170) (CDR-SOB, MMSE, NPI, ADCS-ADL) and caregiver- (n = 170) (BDI, SOC) related efficacy parameters were evaluated annually.

Progression of Alzheimer's disease during a three-year follow-up using the CERAD-NB total score: Kuopio ALSOVA study.

Background: We studied the suitability of The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Neuropsychological Battery (CERAD-NB) total score for monitoring Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression in early-diagnosed medicated patients. We also investigated possible differences in progression between patients with very mild or mild baseline AD.

Methods: In this three-year follow-up of 115 ALSOVA study patients with clinical dementia ratings (CDR) of very mild (0.