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Negative symptoms, depression and Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Vercelletto Martine,
Martinez Florence,
Lanier Sophie,
Magne Christine,
Jaulin Philippe,
Bourin Michel
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.620
Subject(s) - apathy , medicine , depression (economics) , psychology , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , positive and negative syndrome scale , psychiatry , psychosis , disease , economics , macroeconomics
Objectives To apply the negative symptoms (NS) concept used in schizophrenia to patients with AD, to compare the results with the frontal lobe perfusion in ethyl cysteinate dimmer (ECD) single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and with the apolipoprotein E genotype. Method 32 patients with a diagnosis of probable AD were assessed by the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS‐N), the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS), the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and the Mini‐Mental Status Examination (MMSE). Each patient underwent ECD SPECT and APO E genotyping. PANSS‐N, MADRS, NPI, and MMSE were administered to 19 normal elderly control subjects. Results The mean PANSS‐N score for AD patients (20.56, SD: 8, range: 7–40) was significantly higher ( p < 0.001) than that of controls (7, SD: 0). MADRS scores were not significantly different ( p = 0.75) between AD patients (9.03, SD: 6.14, range: 0–25) and controls (6.2, SD: 3.61, range: 1–15). The NPI apathy score (0–12) was correlated with PANSS‐N ( p < 0.001). Correlation between prominent frontal hypoperfusion (six cases) and NS was at the limit of significance. No relation was found between epsilon E4 and NS. Conclusion This consideration is important in distinguishing between depression and AD. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.