Alzheimer Disease: Lett D

Boddy F, Rowan EN, Lett D, O'Brien JT, McKeith IG, Burn DJ. · Institute for Ageing and Health, University of Newcastle, UK. · Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. · Pubmed #17096456 No free full text.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: We compared subjective sleep quality and excessive daytime somnolence (EDS) in controls, Parkinson's disease with (PDD) and without dementia (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated whether sleep dysfunction and EDS associate with motor phenotype in PD, PDD and DLB. METHOD: Assessments included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: EDS was more frequent in PD, DLB and PDD patients than in AD. PDD, PD and DLB patients also had worse sleep quality when compared with AD and controls. Baseline postural instability-gait difficulty (PIGD) motor phenotype in PDD was associated with a higher ESS score and frequency of EDS, but this association was lost at two years. PSQI scores did not differ between PIGD dominant and non-dominant PD, PDD and DLB patients. CONCLUSION: EDS and poor sleep quality are greater in PD, PDD and DLB, compared with AD. The dissociation of EDS and motor phenotype suggests their pathophysiology is anatomically and/or temporally distinct.

McKeith IG, Rowan E, Askew K, Naidu A, Allan L, Barnett N, Lett D, Mosimann UP, Burn D, O'Brien JT. · Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK. · Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. · Pubmed #16816011 No free full text.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare functional impairments in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer disease (AD) and their relationship with motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms. METHODS: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of 84 patients with DLB or AD in a secondary care setting. Patients were diagnosed according to published criteria for DLB and AD. The Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADLS) was used to assess functional impairments. Participants were also assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (motor section), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and the Mini-Mental Status Examination. RESULTS: Patients with DLB were more functionally impaired and had more motor and neuropsychiatric difficulties than patients with AD with similar cognitive scores. In both AD and DLB, there were correlations between total BADLS scores and motor and neuropsychiatric deficits. There was more impairment in the mobility and self-care components of the BADLS in DLB than in AD, and in DLB, these were highly correlated with UPDRS score. In AD, orientation and instrumental BADLS components were most affected. CONCLUSION: The nature of functional disability differs between AD and DLB with additional impairments in mobility and self-care in DLB being mainly attributable to extrapyramidal motor symptoms. Consideration of these is important in assessment and management. Activities of daily living scales for use in this population should attribute the extent to which functional disabilities are related to cognitive, psychiatric, or motor dysfunction.