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Quality of life in older Belgian people: comparison between people with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and controls

To assess the sensitivity of the ‘Alzheimers Disease Related Quality of Life’ instrument (ADRQL) applied to Belgian people with dementia (n = 357), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (n = 36), and controls (n = 72). We also determined the clinical parameters that influence the quality of life (QOL) of people with dementia.

Action of chlordiazepoxide on two types of temporal conditioning in rats

Abstract The action of chlordiazepoxide on two kinds of behaviour involving a temporal component is studied. Rats were trained, in an operant conditioning situation to press a lever for food either on a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement or on a schedule of differential reinforcement of low rates of responding. In both cases, a temporal discrimination develops; in the first case, it is spontaneous , while it is the condition for reinforcement in the second case. Chlordiazepoxide increases the conditioned activity, as measured by the number of responses, and produces a disruption of timing behaviour. Both effects are more pronounced, and can be observed for smaller doses of the drug, under the fixed interval schedule, where the temporal discrimination is not the condition for reinforcement. Results are discussed in terms of drug behaviour interaction. The muscle relaxant action of chlordiazepoxide is hypotetically suggested as an explanation of its effects on timing behaviour.

Relationship between quality of life and cognitive decline in dementia

Aims: We aimed to examine the association of cognitive decline with quality of life (QoL) in dementia compared to controls and to determine variables associated with QoL. Methods: Every subject was placed within a specific group depending on their designation by the Mini Mental State Examination and evaluated by the Alzheimer’s Disease Related Quality of Life (ADRQL) and clinical assessments. Results: QoL for the mild dementia group was lower (p = 0.08) than that of controls. The very severe dementia group had a significantly lower QoL than the other dementia groups, which all had similar ADRQL scores. The only predictor of ADRQL scores was found to be the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Conclusion: There is no direct relationship between cognitive decline and QoL.

Behavioural effects of a prolonged treatment with small doses of morphine in cats

SummaryThree cats, conditioned to respond for food in a Skinner-box on an FI schedule of reinforcement, were submitted during 3 months to chronic treatment with daily doses of 0.2 mg/kg morphine hydrochloride. After an initial phase where no effect was observed, the subjects manifested increased responding and a deterioration of timing behaviour. Behavioural tolerance was shown to develop to both effects. Withdrawing the drug resulted in the immediate or progressive suppression of conditioned activity. The findings are discussed by reference to generally accepted conceptions of tolerance and physical dependence.

Impact of place of residence on relationship between quality of life and cognitive decline in dementia.

The aim of this descriptive study was to estimate and compare the association between cognitive decline and quality of life (QOL) for 2 groups of dementia patients differing by place of residence: home or institution. Each subject was placed within a specific subgroup according to their Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and was evaluated by a QOL proxy-assessment [Alzheimer Disease Related Quality of Life (ADRQL)] and a dependency assessment (Katz Activities of Daily Living classification). For the “at home” and “institution” groups, global and subscale ADRQL scores showed significant differences between the 5 MMSE subgroups. Place of residence and MMSE subgroups significantly affected global and subscale ADRQL scores. The MMSE 4 to 8, 9 to 13, and 14 to 18 subgroups had ADRQL global scores significantly better in the institution group than the at home group. In contrast, the MMSE 19 to 23 and 0 to 3 subgroups had similar ADRQL global scores in both places of residence. In conclusion, there is no direct relationship between cognitive decline and QOL, and QOL does not seem to be better at home compared with the institution.

Action of a new psychotropic drug (sulpiride) on avoidance behavior in rats.

Sulpiride, a new psychotropic drug with neuroleptic activity, was administered to rats in a Sidman avoidance schedule. Doses ranging from 1 to 80 mg/kg resulted in the animal receiving fewer shocks. This effect was not correlated with an increase of responding and seemed unrelated to the suppressing action abruptly observed at high doses (i. e. 150 to 200 mg/kg). These results differ from those classicaly obtained with other neuroleptics.

Neuropsychiatric Inventory data in a Belgian sample of elderly persons with and without dementia.

Background/aims This study assesses and compares prevalence of psychological and behavioral symptoms in a Belgian sample of people with and without dementia. Methods A total of 228 persons older than 65 years with dementia and a group of 64 non-demented persons were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) in 2004. Results Within the group without dementia, the most frequent symptoms were depression, agitation, and irritability. Within the group with dementia, the most common symptoms were depression, irritability, apathy, and agitation. Prevalence of delusions (P < 0.05), hallucinations (P < 0.05), anxiety (P < 0.05), agitation (P < 0.05), apathy (P < 0.01), aberrant motor behavior (P < 0.01), and eating disorders (P < 0.05) were significantly higher in the group with dementia. Conclusion Depression, elation, irritability, disinhibition, and sleeping disorders are not specific to dementia. Agitation, apathy, anxiety, and delusions are more frequent in dementia but were not specific to the dementia group because their prevalence rates were close to 10% in the group without dementia. Hallucinations, aberrant motor behavior, and eating disorders are specific to dementia. The distinction between specific and nonspecific symptoms may be useful for etiological research on biological, psychological, and environmental factors.

Antagonismes des effets centraux et périphériques de la trémorine par deux parasympathicolytiques: L'atropine et la scopolamine

SummaryAdministered to rats trained in an operant conditioning situation on a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement (FI) or on a schedule of differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL), tremorine in doses of 0.5–5 mg/kg intraperitoneally depressed the rate of responding. The rats trained on the DRL-schedule were slightly more resistent to tremorine than the rats trained on the FI-schedule. In both types the effect increased with increasing doses. Administration of atropine (1 mg/kg i. p.) or scopolamine (0.8 mg/kg i. p.) increased the rate of responding. In contrast to scopolamine, atropine did not alter the distribution of responses in time. In a third experiment, the subjects received 5 mg/kg tremorine, plus 1 mg/kg atropine or 0.8 mg/kg scopolamine. The behavioural effects of tremorine, observed in the first experiment, were antagonized by both drugs, the temporal regulation showing a pattern similar to the pattern obtained under the antagonizing drug alone.

Contribution du conditionnement animal à l'étude expérimentale des substances psychotropes

SummaryThe method of operant conditioning recommends itself as particularly adequate in the study of behavioural action of psychotropic drugs. Its advantages and possibilities in psychopharmacological analysis are discussed. As illustration, experimental results are presented, concerning two central problems : 1) behaviour as an independent variable in the study of drug action and 2) the behavioural aspects of long term pharmacological treatments. The behavioural analysis raises new problems to pharmacologists, some of which are discussed with reference to concepts and data in pharmacology.