Anne Quittre

Apathy and Executive Dysfunction in Alzheimer Disease

Apathy, defined as a reduction in voluntary goal-directed behaviors, is one of the most common behavioral symptoms encountered in Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the processes underlying the different components of apathy are still unclear. The aim of this study was to explore a particularly important aspect of executive function in daily life: multitasking [assessed with the Modified Six Elements Task (MSET)], and its relationship with apathy in AD. Sixty-seven participants (37 AD patients matched with 30 control participants) were screened using the MSET. Simultaneously, a close relative of each patient was given the Apathy Inventory, which assesses 3 distinct dimensions of apathy (lack of initiative, lack of interest, and emotional blunting). AD patients presented significantly more multitasking deficits than control participants. In addition, regression analyses revealed that the number of rule breaks on the MSET (inability to perform several tasks in a predefined time observing a number of rules) was the best predictor of apathy, and especially of lack of initiative. These results suggest that the relation between lack of initiative and multitasking has a specific character and that mechanisms underlying multitasking constitute a key component of goal-directed behaviors.

A grid for a precise analysis of daily activities

Assessment of daily living activities is essential in patients with Alzheimers disease. Most current tools quantitatively assess overall ability but provide little qualitative information on individual difficulties. Only a few tools allow therapists to evaluate stereotyped activities and record different types of errors. We capitalised on the Kitchen Activity Assessment to design a widely applicable analysis grid that provides both qualitative and quantitative data on activity performance. A cooking activity was videotaped in 15 patients with dementia and assessed according to the different steps in the execution of the task. The evaluations obtained with our grid showed good correlations between raters, between versions of the grid and between sessions. Moreover, the degree of independence obtained with our analysis of the task correlated with the Kitchen Activity Assessment score and with a global score of cognitive functioning. We conclude that assessment of a daily living activity with this analysis grid is reproducible and relatively independent of the therapist, and thus provides quantitative and qualitative information useful for both evaluating and caring for demented patients.