Abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and clinical correlates of apathy in a population-based sample of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to assess whether apathy may present as a primary behavioural disturbance independent from depression and cognitive impairment. A total of 232 patients derived from an epidemiological study of PD in Rogaland county, Western Norway, completed a comprehensive evaluation of motor, cognitive, and depressive symptoms. Apathy was assessed with the motivation/initiative item of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. The majority of the population had mild to moderate PD with mean disease duration of 9.1+/-5.7 years. Apathy was diagnosed in 38% of the 232 patients. In 11% of the total sample apathy coexisted with depression and dementia, whereas 10% had apathy and depression without dementia, 6.5% apathy and dementia without depression, and 9% were apathetic without dementia or depression (data missing in 1.5% patients). Apathy was significantly associated with higher depression scores, lower cognitive functioning, and more severe motor symptoms. When excluding patients with depression, dementia, cognitive impairment with no dementia (population-based age- and education-corrected norms for the Mini-Mental State Examination), and those using psychotropic medication, 5% of the 232 patients had apathy. In conclusion, our study shows that apathy is common in the general PD population, may present as an independent behavioural disorder, and suggests that apathy in PD may be related to dysfunction of the nigro-striatal pathway or that brain pathology underlying apathy and progression of motor symptoms develops in parallel.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Apathy is a common but under-recognised behavioural disorder associated with depression and cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). However, the longitudinal course of apathy in PD has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To examine the occurrence of and risk factors for apathy over time in a representative sample of patients with PD. METHODS: A sample of 139 patients was drawn from a population-based prevalence study of PD in Rogaland County, Western Norway. Apathy was measured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, using a composite score >or=4 to indicate clinically significant apathy. Additional measurements included standardised rating scales for parkinsonism, depression and cognitive impairment. A follow-up evaluation was carried out in 79 patients (78.2% of the survivors) 4 years later. RESULTS: Of the 79 patients included in this study, 29 patients (36.7%) had never had apathy, 11 (13.9%) had persistent apathy, and a further 39 (49.4%) developed apathy during follow-up. At follow-up, patients with apathy were more frequently depressed and demented than never-apathetic patients. Dementia at baseline and a more rapid decline in speech and axial impairment during follow-up were independent risk factors for incident apathy. CONCLUSIONS: Apathy is a persistent behavioural feature in PD with a high incidence and prevalence over time. Progression of motor signs predominantly mediated by non-dopaminergic systems may be a useful preclinical marker for incident apathy in PD.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and have important clinical consequences for patients, caregivers and society. Few studies of neuropsychiatric symptoms in early untreated PD exist. OBJECTIVE: To explore the range, clustering and correlates of neuropsychiatric symptoms in an incidence cohort of untreated subjects with PD. METHODS: All cases with incident PD identified during a 22 month period in four counties of Western and Southern Norway were included. Standardised criteria were used to diagnose PD. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was administered to 175 PD and 166 healthy control subjects with similar age and sex distributions. Cluster analysis was used to investigate the interrelationship of NPI items. RESULTS: The proportion with any NPI symptoms was higher in PD (56%) than in controls (22%) (p<0.001). Depression (37%), apathy (27%), sleep disturbance (18%) and anxiety (17%) were the most common symptoms. Clinically significant symptoms occurred in 27% of the PD group compared with only 3% in the control group (p<.001). Subjects with clinically significant neuropsychiatric symptoms had more severe parkinsonism than those without. Two neuropsychiatric clusters were identified, one characterised by mood symptoms and one by apathy. CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority of patients with early untreated PD do not have clinical significant neuropsychiatric symptoms, these symptoms are more common in patients than in people without PD. Both psychological stress and brain changes associated with PD are likely to contribute to the higher frequencies.
Abstract: Apathy is a common behavioural problem in Parkinson's disease (PD), with important clinical consequences for patients and their families. However, little is known about apathy in early PD. We examined the frequency and clinical characteristics of apathy in 175 nondemented, drug-naïve patients with newly diagnosed PD and 165 control subjects matched for age, sex and education level in Western and Southern Norway. All participants underwent a comprehensive neurological, psychiatric and neuropsychological evaluation. Apathy was diagnosed based on Neuropsychiatric Inventory assessment and recently proposed consensus criteria. Apathy was found in 22.9% of the PD patients, of whom 37.5% had significant depressive symptoms, whereas none of the control subjects were apathetic. Apathy was significantly associated with male gender, higher depression scores and more severe motor symptoms, but was not associated with greater cognitive impairment. When excluding patients with significant depressive symptoms, apathy remained significantly associated with motor severity. Approximately 50% of the caregivers of patients with apathy reported the apathetic behaviour to be at least moderately distressing. The association between apathy and motor severity in our PD cohort suggests a common underlying pathophysiological mechanism. Future studies should explore the longitudinal effect of dopamine replacement therapy on apathetic behaviour in early PD. The relationship between apathy and male gender needs further study to be fully evaluated.
Abstract: We examined the validity of the motivation/initiative item of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) section I as a screening and diagnostic measure for apathy in Parkinson's disease (PD). Fifty-eight patients with PD were evaluated with the UPDRS, the 14-item Apathy Scale (AS), and standardized rating scales of depression and cognitive impairment. Apathy was diagnosed using specific items of the AS together with proposed criteria for apathy. A score of 2 or more on the motivation/initiative item was adequate to screen for apathy, whereas a score of 4 had high diagnostic accuracy at the cost of unacceptable low sensitivity.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: A variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms commonly occur in Parkinson's disease. Extensive research the last 10 years has provided new knowledge in the field. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This review is based on literature retrieved from a Medline search and own research and clinical experience. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION: Neuropsychiatric symptoms occur in the majority of patients with Parkinson's disease, and are associated with impaired quality of life for patients and relatives, additional deterioration of function and increased use of health resources. Medical and surgical therapies can induce or worsen such symptoms. Cognitive impairment and dementia are among the most common and severe complications to Parkinson's disease. No disease-modifying treatment is available, but rivastigmine was effective in one large randomised trial. Visual hallucinations are common and often persistent, but can be treated with klozapin if reducing the number and dose of antiparkinson agents are not helpful. Depression occurs frequently, usually mild, but there is little evidence of treatment efficacy. Apathy, anxiety and sleep disturbances are additional commonly occurring neuropsychiatric symptoms. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are so frequent in Parkinson's disease that they should be considered an integral part of the disease; it is important that clinicians are aware of these symptoms.
Abstract: Epidemiological research aims to provide information on the development, prevalence and progression of diseases, and their associated risk factors. Epidemiological research is thus the basis of increasing our understanding on the aetiology of diseases and as a consequence the starting point for identifying at risk groups in the population, development for novel prevention and treatment strategies, and health care planning. This review provides an overview of the epidemiology of Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, with special emphasis on population-based data on the clinical progression of motor and non-motor features of the disease.
