Behavioral and psychological symptoms, neurocognitive performance, and functional independence in mild dementia

This research investigated the interrelationships between behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia (BPSD; i.e. disturbance of perception, thought content, mood, or behavior), cognition, and functional independence among mildly demented outpatients (MMSE = 23). A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation was administered to 48 outpatients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (n = 32) and vascular dementia (n = 16) in order to assess cognitive function. A neuropsychiatric symptom inventory assessed BPSD and an instrumental activities of daily living questionnaire assessed functional independence. Pearson correlational analyses found that BPSD were associated with dementia severity, but not with performance on tests of specific neurocognitive domains. In addition, functional independence was associated with BPSD, dementia severity, and executive control, but not with language or memory. Multiple regression analyses revealed that dementia severity alone best predicted BPSD, and that BPSD more so than dementia severity best predicted functional independence. None of the specific neurocognitive domains predicted either BPSD or functional independence.