The relationship between interval changes in neuropsychiatric symptoms and a
diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment
 
   Lead Investigator:    Michael Sugarman
   Institution      :    Boston University
   E-Mail           :    msugarman5@gmail.com
   Proposal ID      :    809


   Publications:


1  Sugarman MA, Alosco ML, Tripodis Y, Steinberg EG, Stern RA
   Neuropsychiatric symptoms and the diagnostic stability of mild cognitive impairment
   2018   Journal Article  J Alzheimers Dis   1841-1855   ,PMC29614641

   PUBLISHED





   Proposal Description:
   Background: About 16 of older adults who receive a diagnosis of mild cognitive    impairment (MCI) experience interval improvement and revert back to a             classification of normal or near-cognition one year later. Identifying the        individuals who are most likely to demonstrate cognitive improvement is of        great interest and importance to clinicians, researchers, and the aging           community as a whole. One potential reason why individuals might experience       temporal instability in cognitive status is interval changes in                   neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and irritability.          Specific Aims: The proposed project will evaluate the association between         changes in neuropsychiatric symptoms and changes in cognitive status in older     individuals followed longitudinally at NACC-associated Alzheimer?s Disease      Centers. In order to evaluate this aim, we will track the cognitive progression   of every participant in the NACC database whose status at baseline was            diagnosed as normal cognition and who completed at least two follow-up visits.    We will analyze not only their reported neuropsychiatric symptoms at baseline     (as determined by the Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire [NPI-Q] and the     Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]) but also the time course of these symptoms at   each follow-up. We hypothesize that individuals who convert from normal           cognition to MCI will experience an increase in neuropsychiatric symptoms over    the one-year interval compared to those who remained at normal cognition.         Further, individuals with MCI who revert back to normal cognition will            experience an improvement in neuropsychiatric symptoms compared to those who      remain with a diagnosis of MCI or convert to dementia. A secondary aim will       examine whether changes or additions to participant?s psychotropic              medications are associated with inte