Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2012 Mar;27(2):100-6. doi: 10.1177/1533317512440495.
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), nonverbal aspects of communication become increasingly important in caregiver-patient interactions when the ability to communicate verbally is fading with progression of the disease. We therefore investigated the impact of cognitive deficits and neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly apathy, on facial expression in AD. While overall neuropsychiatric symptoms were not associated with facial expression, apathy exhibited substantial correlations, even after controlling for cognitive deficits. Moreover, apathy appeared to moderate the influence of cognitive deficits: without considering apathy, cognitive deficits were associated with less specific facial expressions. After controlling for apathy, cognitive decline was related to increased facial expressiveness. In conclusion, apathetic symptoms appear to be specifically associated with facial expression in AD and thus could contribute to a disregard for patients' needs in everyday life.
在阿尔茨海默病(AD)中,当言语交流能力随着疾病的进展逐渐衰退时,非言语交流在照顾者与患者的互动中变得越来越重要。因此,我们研究了认知缺陷和神经精神症状(特别是冷漠)对 AD 患者面部表情的影响。虽然总体神经精神症状与面部表情无关,但冷漠表现出显著的相关性,即使在控制认知缺陷后也是如此。此外,冷漠似乎调节了认知缺陷的影响:不考虑冷漠时,认知缺陷与不太具体的面部表情有关。在控制冷漠后,认知能力下降与面部表情的丰富度增加有关。总之,冷漠症状似乎与 AD 患者的面部表情特别相关,因此可能导致在日常生活中忽视患者的需求。