Elsevier

Biological Psychiatry

Volume 25, Issue 1, 1 January 1989, Pages 39-48
Biological Psychiatry

Psychotic symptoms and the longitudinal course of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(89)90145-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Delusions, misidentifications and hallucinations occur frequently throughout the course of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT). Rates of psychosis among subjects with moderate to severe SDAT range from 42% to 84% in our study group; at least half of persons with SDAT with no prior psychiatric history will display psychosis at some point during the course of dementia. Furthermore, psychotic symptoms are associated with accelerated cognitive deterioration, but not with increased mortality.

References (34)

  • JL Cummings

    Organic psychoses: Delusional disorders and secondary mania

    Psychiatr Clin North Am

    (1986)
  • A Alzheimer

    About a peculiar disease of the cerebral cortex

    Alz Dis Assoc Dis Orders

    (1987)
  • American Psychiatric Association
  • H Arai et al.

    Changes of biogenic amines and their metabolites in post-mortem brains from patients with Alzheimer-type dementia

    J Neurochem

    (1984)
  • L Berg

    Clinical Dementia Rating

    Br J Psychiatry

    (1984)
  • L Berg et al.

    Mild senile dementia of Alzheimer type: Research Diagnostic Criteria recruitment and description of a study population

    J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry

    (1982)
  • L Berg et al.

    Mild senile dementia of the Alzheimer type

    Longitudinal assessment

    (1987)
  • G Blessed et al.

    The association between quantitative measures of dementia and of senile change in the cerebral gray matter of elderly subjects

    Br J Psychiatry

    (1968)
  • W Bondareff et al.

    Loss of neurons of origin of adrenergic projection of cerebral cortex (nucleus locus ceruleus) in senile dementia

    Neurology

    (1982)
  • WJ Burke et al.

    Symptoms of depression in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type

    Alz Dis Assoc Dis

    (1988)
  • A Cross et al.

    Serotonin receptor changes in dementia of the Alzheimer type

    J Neurochem

    (1984)
  • JL Cummings et al.

    Neuropsychiatrie aspects of multi-infarct dementia and dementia of the Alzheimer type

    Arch Neurol

    (1987)
  • P Davies et al.

    Recent advances in the neurochemistry of Alzheimer's disease

    J Clin Psychiatry

    (1987)
  • S Dekosky et al.

    Laminar organization of cholinergic circuits in human frontal cortex in Alzheimer's disease and aging

    Neurology

    (1985)
  • WC Drevets et al.

    Erotomania and senile dementia of the Alzheimer type

    Br J Psychiatry

    (1987)
  • P Francis et al.

    Neurochemical studies of early-onset Alzheimer's disease

    N Engl J Med

    (1985)
  • L Goodman

    Alzheimer's disease. A clinical-pathologic analysis of 23 cases with a theory on pathogenesis

    J Nerv Ment Dis

    (1953)
  • Cited by (291)

    • Psychosis in Alzheimer's disease

      2014, Biological Psychiatry
    • Behavioral disorders in dementia: Appropriate nondrug interventions and antipsychotic use

      2016, American Family Physician
      Citation Excerpt :

      Approximately 15% to 75% of persons with dementia have delusions, delusional misidentifications, hallucinations (usually visual), wandering, agitation, aggression, and other psychotic behaviors.6

    • Sex and sleep disruption as contributing factors in Alzheimer's disease

      2024, Handbook of Prevention and Alzheimer's Disease
    View all citing articles on Scopus

    Supported in part by NIA Grants AG03911 and AG05681.

    View full text