What Is Paradoxical Lucidity?

In this presentation, I provide a conceptual background from which the other symposium speakers can describe detailed methods for investigating paradoxical lucidity (PL) in dementia. First, I outline the clinical and ethical significance of studying PL. Second, I describes how PL is understudied and so difficult to measure. A working definition of PL has been formulated from case reports, but aspects of this definition remain vague. I argue that this vagueness challenges the measurement of PL and the generalizability of study results. I conclude by proposing ways to address these problems.