Validity of the Brazilian version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q).

Unlabelled: The NPI-Q (Neuropsychiatry Inventory-Questionnaire) was developed to facilitate the evaluation of neuropsychiatric symptoms. This study evaluated the internal consistency, the test-retest reliability of the Brazilian NPI-Q version and its convergent validity with the original NPI.

Method: The NPI-Q and the NPI were administered to 64 caregivers of dementia patients.

Estimation of the risk of conversion of mild cognitive impairment of Alzheimer type to Alzheimer's disease in a south Brazilian population-based elderly cohort: the PALA study.

Background: Higher mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prognostic variability has been related to sample characteristics (community-based or specialized clinic) and to diverse operationalization criteria. The aim of the study was to evaluate the trajectory of MCI of Alzheimer type in a population-based elderly cohort in Southern Brazil. We also estimated the risk for the development of probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) in comparison with healthy subjects.

Clinical and demographic characteristics of elderly patients with dementia assisted at an outpatient clinic in Southern Brazil.

Unlabelled: The aging of the population is a worldwide phenomenon, where 60% of elders live in developing areas of the world such as Brazil, regions in which few studies have been carried out.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical and demographic profile of patients with dementing disorders seen at a specialized outpatient clinic in South Brazil.

Methods: A sample of 105 demented patients seen at the Dementia Outpatient Clinic from Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Brazil between June 2004 and June 2008.

Predictors of normal and successful aging among urban-dwelling elderly Brazilians.

The association of successful aging with demographic, socioeconomic, and medical characteristics in healthy community-dwelling Brazilian individuals aged 60 years and older (N = 345) was investigated. Participants were classified as successful (n = 214, 62%) or normal (n = 131, 38%) agers. Successful agers participated in significantly more leisure activities (34%) than did normal agers (21%).

Incidence of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease in Southern Brazil.

The objective of the study was to evaluate incident cases of Alzheimer disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in an elderly community cohort in a major city of southern Brazil and to determine the variables associated with the development of cognitive dysfunction. Data were drawn from a cohort to investigate healthy aging among community elderly (N = 345) and were derived from the follow-up for a maximum of 8 years. Sociodemographic, psychiatric and medical information, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Clinical Dementia Rating scale were obtained in each assessment.