What is it about?
We used data from almost 10,000 participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer's Disease to examine the relationship between patients' neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional decline over time. We found that specific symptoms, in particular, apathy, predicted trajectory of functional decline.
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Why is it important?
Neuropsychiatric symptoms such as apathy, depression, anxiety, irritability, agitation, delusions, and hallucinations are core features of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia and are major predictors of cognitive impairment and functional decline in dementia.
Perspectives
Our study highlights the critical importance of early detection and ongoing monitoring of apathy as a key marker for neurodegenerative disease and faster decline, and an important treatment target with potential to significantly improve quality of life of those affected.
Carolyn Zhu
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Understanding the Role of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Functional Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease, Journal of Neuropsychiatry, June 2025, American Psychiatric Association,
DOI: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20250015.
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