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Epidemiology and Management of Apathy in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

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Abstract

Although apathy is a diagnostic term used with increasing frequency in both neurology and psychiatry, confusion still exists as to its proper definition and assessment, and whether apathy should be considered a symptom of major psychiatric diseases or an independent syndrome in its own right. Moreover, critical questions regarding the phenomenology and clinical correlates of apathy and the syndromic validity of this construct still exist. Despite these nosological concerns, there is strong evidence that apathy is a common finding in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the treatment of apathy is still elusive. Current data are obtained from randomised controlled trials that did not investigate apathy per se, but rather a number of other behavioural and psychological variables. In this context, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and psychosocial interventions are the only available modalities for treating apathy in AD with some efficacy.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially supported with grants from the Raine Medical Research Foundation, and the National Health and Medical Research Council. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PET Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Romina Mizrahi

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Romina Mizrahi

  3. School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia

    Sergio E. Starkstein

  4. Fremantle Hospital, Education Building T-7, Fremantle, Western Australia, 6959, Australia

    Sergio E. Starkstein

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  1. Romina Mizrahi
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  2. Sergio E. Starkstein
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Correspondence to Sergio E. Starkstein.

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Mizrahi, R., Starkstein, S.E. Epidemiology and Management of Apathy in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Drugs Aging 24, 547–554 (2007). https://doi.org/10.2165/00002512-200724070-00003

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