Delusions in Alzheimer Disease are Associated With Decreased Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a devastating illness that causes deterioration in cognitive and functional abilities. In addition to these impairments, many patients develop neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) as part of their clinical course. It is estimated that 36% of patients with AD develop delusions, which often manifest in the spectrum of persecutory or misidentification delusions.1 The subset of patients who develop delusions appears to represent an endophenotype associated with worse outcomes, including greater cognitive and functional impairments, a faster rate of decline, poorer overall health, increased rates of institutionalization into nursing homes, and higher rates of mortality compared with patients without psychosis.
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Regular Research Article Source Type: research