Agreement Between Informant and Physician Rating of Apathy in AD.

 
   Lead Investigator:    Kim Hutchinson
   Institution      :    Fielding Graduate University
   E-Mail           :    khutchinson@email.fielding.edu
   Proposal ID      :    275



   Proposal Description:
   Apathy is associated with numerous adverse outcomes such as rapid functional      decline, cognitive decline, and caregiver distress. It is a marker of             transition from MCI to AD, a risk factor for AD, and some have suggested that     apathy may be one of the first signs of cognitive decline. Self-report measures   of apathy may have limited usefulness due to the lack of client insight.          However, informant ratings and physician ratings of apathy have been identified   as useful data in determining the presence and severity of apathy in AD.          Informant raters have frequent contact with the client. Physicians spend less     time with the client, but have the benefit of accessing multiple clinical         sources of data. The purpose of this study is to examine the agreement between    physician and informant ratings of apathy in participants with                    possible/probable AD. Understanding how well these independent raters agree       with each other may improve diagnostics, as well as patient care and outcomes.