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Do Many of the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia Constitute a Distinct Clinical Syndrome? Current Evidence Using the BEHAVE-AD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2005

Barry Reisberg
Affiliation:
Aging and Dementia Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Isabel Monteiro
Affiliation:
Aging and Dementia Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Istvan Boksay
Affiliation:
Aging and Dementia Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Stefanie Auer
Affiliation:
Aging and Dementia Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Carol Torossian
Affiliation:
Aging and Dementia Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Sunnie Kenowsky
Affiliation:
Aging and Dementia Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.

Extract

The Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD) was specifically designed to assess behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) that would be remediable to both psychologic and pharmacologic intervention. Furthermore, the BEHAVE-AD was designed to assess categories of symptoms that would respond in a cohesive (syndrome) manner in dementia patients, independently of effects of interventions on cognition and functioning. Current data indicate that the BEHAVE-AD does indeed assess a cohesive, cognition- and function independent syndrome in AD and in related dementias that is responsive to psychologic and appropriate pharmacologic intervention. Evidence is also increasing for differential responsiveness of this BPSD syndrome to select pharmacologic agents compared with nonspecific psychologic (placebo) intervention. This article reviews the evidence for this BPSD syndrome in dementia patients, as assessed with the BEHAVE-AD.

Type
Phenomenology
Copyright
© 2000 International Psychogeriatric Association

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