Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Cam Thanh Tran, Martin Bog, Shuk-Li Collings, Michelle Johnson, Nawab Qizilbash, Stefan Lind, Ross A. Baker, Kristian Tore Jorgensen
Summary: This study examined the use of antipsychotic medications in patients with Alzheimer's disease and agitation, and found that patients with agitation were frequently prescribed antipsychotics in routine clinical practice in the UK. The high usage of antipsychotics suggests a need for better therapies to address safety concerns in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease.
CURRENT MEDICAL RESEARCH AND OPINION
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Marjaana Koponen, Blair Rajamaki, Piia Lavikainen, J. Simon Bell, Heidi Taipale, Antti Tanskanen, Sirpa Hartikainen, Anna-Maija Tolppanen
Summary: This study assessed whether antipsychotic initiation increases the risk of stroke in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and whether there is a difference in stroke risk between the two most commonly used antipsychotics, risperidone and quetiapine. The results showed that antipsychotic use was associated with an increased risk of stroke within 60 days of initiation, but there was no significant overall association between antipsychotic use and stroke risk. There was also no difference in stroke risk between risperidone and quetiapine.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Stephanie L. Harrison, Benjamin J. R. Buckley, Deirdre A. Lane, Paula Underhill, Gregory Y. H. Lip
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the proportion of people with dementia receiving antipsychotics, potentially exacerbating the negative effects of antipsychotics in patients with dementia.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Peihao Fan, Julia Kofler, Ying Ding, Michael Marks, Robert A. Sweet, Lirong Wang
Summary: Approximately 50% of AD patients develop psychosis, which is associated with more severe cognitive decline compared to those without psychosis. There is currently no approved medication specifically for AD with psychosis, although atypical antipsychotics are commonly used. In this study, the genetic differences between AD+P and schizophrenia were compared, and specific protein-protein interaction networks were constructed. The efficacy of antipsychotics was found to be lower in AD+P, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms of AD+P may be distinct from schizophrenia.
BRIEFINGS IN BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Peter Phiri, Tomas Engelthaler, Hannah Carr, Gayathri Delanerolle, Clive Holmes, Shanaya Rathod
Summary: The study found that dementia patients prescribed olanzapine and risperidone had an increased risk of death, while those prescribed quetiapine did not show a significant association. Factors such as high MMSE scores, being female, and being of White-British ethnic group were associated with a lower risk of death.
WORLD JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Kaili Chen, Haiqi Li, Le Yang, Yan Jiang, Qiaoli Wang, Jiao Zhang, Jinting He
Summary: Dementia is a common clinical syndrome in elderly individuals, and agitation, as a neuropsychiatric symptom, has a serious impact on the quality of life of dementia patients. This study conducted a network meta-analysis to examine the efficacy and safety of different antidepressant drugs in treating agitated behavior symptoms in dementia patients.
FRONTIERS IN AGING NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Leah M. Cohen, Eleanor Ash, John D. Outen, Ryan Vandrey, Halima Amjad, Marc Agronin, M. Haroon Burhanullah, Patricia Walsh, James M. Wilkins, Jeannie-Marie Leoutsakos, Milap A. Nowrangi, David Harper, Paul B. Rosenberg, Brent P. Forester
Summary: Agitation is a common complication of Alzheimer's dementia associated with negative impacts on patients and care partners, and there are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological treatments. An ongoing study is investigating the safety and efficacy of dronabinol in treating Agit-AD, with preliminary results showing a predominantly female, white sample with advanced cognitive impairment.
INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOGERIATRICS
(2021)
Review
Psychiatry
Haider Qasim, Maree Donna Simpson, Jennifer L. Cox
Summary: Aggressive behaviors of people with dementia pose a significant challenge to employees in nursing homes and aged care facilities. The purpose of this systematic review is to compare pharmacological interventions for psychomotor agitation and psychosis symptoms. Different antipsychotics have varying effects on these symptoms, with some showing tolerable side effects and improvements in behavioral and psychosis symptoms.
PSYCHIATRY INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Emmanuel Cognat, Severine Sabia, Alexandra Fayel, Matthieu Lilamand, Ron Handels, Sara Fascendini, Sverre Bergh, Giovanni B. Frisoni, Andrea Fabbo, Magdalina Tsolaki, Lutz Frolich, Oliver Peters, Paola Merlo, Alfonso Ciccone, Patrizia Mecocci, Julien Dumurgier, Carlo A. Defanti, Jacques Hugon, Claire Paquet
Summary: A study found that the profiles of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) vary depending on etiology in patients with mild-to-moderate BPSD. However, it is not known if similar differences exist in patients with severe BPSD.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Valeria Isella, Cinzia Crivellaro, Anna Formenti, Monica Musarra, Sara Pacella, Sabrina Morzenti, Francesca Ferri, Cristina Mapelli, Francesca Gallivanone, Luca Guerra, Ildebrando Appollonio, Carlo Ferrarese
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which reduced glucose uptake in specific brain regions can distinguish amyloid-positive from amyloid-negative patients with non-classical AD phenotypes. Three rating methods were applied and the results showed good sensitivity and accuracy, but lower specificity. The qualitative visual interpretation method had the highest sensitivity but also had a higher proportion of unclassified cases.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Milap A. Nowrangi, John D. Outen, John Kim, Dimitrios Avramopoulos, Constantine G. Lyketsos, Paul B. Rosenberg
Summary: This article reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (NPS-AD), including depression, psychosis, and agitation. The authors found that mechanisms involving monoaminergic biosynthesis and function are likely key elements of NPS-AD, but the lack of effectiveness of current treatments may be due to contributions from additional mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Jeffrey Cummings
Summary: There have been no recent approvals of cognitive enhancing agents for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but there are several new drugs in trials, including those targeting neuropsychiatric symptoms. Progress is also being made in trial design and outcome measures.
MOLECULAR NEURODEGENERATION
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Joan Forns, Heather E. Danysh, Lisa J. McQuay, Mary Ellen Turner, Colleen Dempsey, Mary S. Anthony, George Demos, J. Bradley Layton
Summary: This study describes the incidence of clinical events and treatment patterns among older adults with dementia-related psychosis after being diagnosed with psychosis. The results show that these patients have a high burden of comorbidities, frailty, emergency department visits, infections, and death, with patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and vascular dementia (VD) having the highest burden of clinical events.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Tracie C. Harrison, Shelley A. Blozis, Bianca Schmidt, Alisha Johnson, Roxanne Moreno, Sherilyn Mead, Michael Gayle
Summary: This study embedded music and audiobooks in 13 long-term care facilities to compare the effects on agitation in people with ADRD. It found that both music and audiobooks reduced agitation in residents, with music showing initially greater effects.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ismaeel Yunusa, Nazia Rashid, George N. Demos, Bhargavi S. Mahadik, Victor C. Abler, Krithika Rajagopalan
Summary: Compared with placebo, quetiapine showed no significant improvement in psychosis in dementia patients, while olanzapine and aripiprazole demonstrated non-significant small improvements. However, these off-label AAPs are associated with higher odds of mortality, CVAEs, and discontinuations due to AEs than placebo, indicating the need for newer pharmacological options for the treatment of DRP.
ADVANCES IN THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Christoph Mueller, Christeena John, Gayan Perera, Dag Aarsland, Clive Ballard, Robert Stewart
Summary: This study found that antipsychotic prescriptions in patients with dementia, specifically those with psychosis but no agitation, may increase the risk of hospitalised stroke. Overall, antipsychotic use was also associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and stroke-specific mortality in the sample.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Gavin R. Stewart, Anne Corbett, Clive Ballard, Byron Creese, Dag Aarsland, Adam Hampshire, Rebecca A. Charlton, Francesca Happe
Summary: The study found that older adults with elevated autistic traits may be at greater risk of mental health issues, but do not show significant differences in physical health. Future research should focus on the possible genetic links between autistic traits and psychiatric conditions, and whether individuals with elevated autistic traits experience special barriers to mental health care.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Joao Delgado, Lindsay Jones, Marie C. Bradley, Louise M. Allan, Clive Ballard, Linda Clare, Richard H. Fortinsky, Carmel M. Hughes, David Melzer
Summary: The study found that patients with dementia often receive potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP), which increases the risk of adverse health outcomes such as mortality, skin issues, falls, anemia, and osteoporosis. This highlights the importance of optimizing medication in dementia patients, especially those with comorbidities.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Ross A. Dunne, Dag Aarsland, John T. O'Brien, Clive Ballard, Sube Banerjee, Nick C. Fox, Jeremy D. Isaacs, Benjamin R. Underwood, Richard J. Perry, Dennis Chan, Tom Dening, Alan J. Thomas, Jeffrey Schryer, Anne-Marie Jones, Alison R. Evans, Charles Alessi, Elizabeth J. Coulthard, James Pickett, Peter Elton, Roy W. Jones, Susan Mitchell, Nigel Hooper, Chris Kalafatis, Jill G. C. Rasmussen, Helen Martin, Jonathan M. Schott, Alistair Burns
Summary: MCI is a clinically heterogeneous syndrome that can lead to further cognitive decline, but may also remain stable or resolve over time. Diagnostic criteria, including cognitive testing, neuroimaging, and fluid biomarkers, can improve accuracy of diagnosis and potentially guide prognosis. Large-scale studies are needed to determine the practical usefulness of combining multiple markers for clinical use.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Kathryn Richardson, George M. Savva, Penelope J. Boyd, Clare Aldus, Ian Maidment, Eduwin Pakpahan, Yoon K. Loke, Antony Arthur, Nicholas Steel, Clive Ballard, Robert Howard, Chris Fox
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Byron Creese, Zunera Khan, William Henley, Siobhan O'Dwyer, Anne Corbett, Miguel Vasconcelos Da Silva, Kathryn Mills, Natalie Wright, Ingelin Testad, Dag Aarsland, Clive Ballard
Summary: The study shows that loneliness and decreased physical activity are risk factors for worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need to focus on and develop policies targeting these potentially modifiable risk factors.
INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOGERIATRICS
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Jane Fossey, Georgina Charlesworth, Jo-Ann Fowler, Elena Frangou, Theo John Pimm, June Dent, Joanne Ryder, Amanda Robinson, Robert Kahn, Dag Aarsland, James Pickett, Clive Ballard
Summary: The study compared the effects of online cognitive-behavioral therapy and online psychoeducation in caregivers of people with dementia, finding significant improvements in mental health and mood in both groups, with no evidence to suggest that CBT was more effective than psychoeducation.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Harriet A. Ball, Laura McWhirter, Clive Ballard, Rohan Bhome, Daniel J. Blackburn, Mark J. Edwards, Nick C. Fox, Robert Howard, Jonathan Huntley, Jeremy D. Isaacs, A. J. Larner, Timothy R. Nicholson, Catherine M. Pennington, Norman Poole, Gary Price, J. P. Price, Markus Reuber, Craig Ritchie, Martin N. Rossor, Jonathan M. Schott, Annalena Venneri, Jon Stone, Alan J. Carson
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mary Ann A. DeMichele-Sweet, Lambertus Klei, Byron Creese, Janet C. Harwood, Elise A. Weamer, Lora McClain, Rebecca Sims, Isabel Hernandez, Sonia Moreno-Grau, Lluis Tarraga, Merce Boada, Emilio Alarcon-Martin, Sergi Valero, Yushi Liu, Basavaraj Hooli, Dag Aarsland, Geir Selbaek, Sverre Bergh, Arvid Rongve, Ingvild Saltvedt, Havard K. Skjellegrind, Bo Engdahl, Eystein Stordal, Ole A. Andreassen, Srdjan Djurovic, Lavinia Athanasiu, Davide Seripa, Barbara Borroni, Diego Albani, Gianluigi Forloni, Patrizia Mecocci, Alessandro Serretti, Diana De Ronchi, Antonis Politis, Julie Williams, Richard Mayeux, Tatiana Foroud, Agustin Ruiz, Clive Ballard, Peter Holmans, Oscar L. Lopez, M. Ilyas Kamboh, Bernie Devlin, Robert A. Sweet
Summary: Psychotic symptoms in Alzheimer's disease are common and have genetic components, with significant associations found in two loci - ENPP6 and SUMF1. AD + P shows negative genetic correlations with cognitive and educational attainment, and positive genetic correlations with depressive symptoms. This study provides insights into the genetic architecture of psychosis in Alzheimer's disease.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Pierre N. Tariot, Jeffrey L. Cummings, Maria E. Soto-Martin, Clive Ballard, Deniz Erten-Lyons, David L. Sultzer, Davangere P. Devanand, Daniel Weintraub, Bradley McEvoy, James M. Youakim, Srdjan Stankovic, Erin P. Foff
Summary: Pimavanserin shows efficacy in reducing psychosis in patients with dementia-related to neurodegenerative diseases. Results of a randomized discontinuation trial indicate that the relapse rate over 26 weeks is 13% with pimavanserin and 28% with placebo. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of pimavanserin in dementia-related psychosis.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Stuart H. Isaacson, Clive G. Ballard, David L. Kreitzman, Bruce Coate, James C. Norton, Hubert H. Fernandez, Tihomir V. Ilic, Jean-Philippe Azulay, Joaquim J. Ferreira, Victor Abler, Srdjan Stankovic
Summary: This study examined the durability of response with pimavanserin in patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis (PDP) for an additional 4 weeks of treatment. Results showed that patients previously on pimavanserin 34 mg during three blinded core studies had sustained efficacy during the subsequent 4-week open-label extension period. Adverse events were reported in nearly half of the patients during the first 4 weeks of the extension study, with falls, hallucinations, and urinary tract infection being the most common. Overall, the study supported the efficacy of pimavanserin in treating PDP in over 400 patients from 14 countries.
PARKINSONISM & RELATED DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Serena Sabatini, Obioha C. Ukoumunne, Clive Ballard, Rachel Collins, Sarang Kim, Anne Corbett, Dag Aarsland, Adam Hampshire, Helen Brooker, Linda Clare
Summary: This study explored the factors associated with subjective age, finding that it may result from the interaction between factors that increase or decrease age-related thoughts and mental processes. The results show that individuals reporting an older subjective age are more likely to experience significant negative changes and engage in negative age-related thoughts. Women experience a more negative subjective age and more age-related events than men.
PSYCHOLOGY & HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Serena Sabatini, Robert T. Woods, Obioha C. Ukoumunne, Clive Ballard, Rachel Collins, Linda Clare
Summary: The study found that more severe subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and subjective memory decline (SMD) may predict lower learning ability but do not significantly predict changes in objectively assessed global cognition, remote memory, and recent memory. Greater depression and anxiety are associated with more severe SCD and SMD.
AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jeffrey Kaye, P. Aisen, R. Amariglio, R. Au, C. Ballard, M. Carrillo, H. Fillit, T. Iwatsubo, G. Jimenez-Maggiora, S. Lovestone, F. Natanegara, K. Papp, M. E. Soto, M. Weiner, B. Vellas
Summary: The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic disrupted AD clinical studies globally, prompting exploration of digital technologies to enable remote assessments. While digital tools have potential to accelerate trials and reduce costs, concerns remain about data stability, validity, generalizability, and regulatory acceptance. The Task Force supports further exploration of digital technologies, emphasizing the need for standardization of digital readouts.
JPAD-JOURNAL OF PREVENTION OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Byron Creese, Ryan Arathimos, Helen Brooker, Dag Aarsland, Anne Corbett, Cathryn Lewis, Clive Ballard, Zahinoor Ismail
Summary: The research findings indicate that mild behavioral impairment (MBI) has a negative impact on cognitive function, particularly in older individuals with more severe symptoms, suggesting that MBI may be an important feature of aging.
ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA: DIAGNOSIS, ASSESSMENT & DISEASE MONITORING
(2021)
