Do Cognitive Tests Predict Functioning and Caregiver Burden in Dementia?

众所周知，神经心理测试在诊断脑损伤和 区分不同形式的痴呆症。然而，虽然我们可以描述特定的认知障碍 在痴呆症患者中，我们无法预测患者可能经历的限制类型 他/她的日常活动。做出这样的预测是必不可少的，特别是在精神错乱的早期阶段。 当患者和家人需要知道功能能力和局限性时，就会出现疾病。目的 目前的项目是进一步确定神经心理测试分数之间的关系，实际 阿尔茨海默病患者额颞部日常功能能力和照顾者负担的研究 痴呆症和血管性痴呆症。该项目的另一个目标是确定 认知功能减退可以预测患者的功能损害率和照顾者的比率 负担/压力。这三组患者是理想的研究对象，因为1)他们是最常见的 2)他们呈现出不同的认知优势和劣势。 将对患者进行神经心理测试和日常生活能力测试，并 多维照顾者负荷量表、精神症状问卷和行为评分 关于患者的量表将在两个不同的测试探头(由 大约18个月的间隔)。预测患者的功能限制的能力，以及 根据患者的神经心理测试和行为评分，照顾者体验的护理将是 在每组患者中进行评估。对这些关系的了解无疑将使医疗保健 专业人士在为患者计划治疗时，更有效地利用神经心理学结果，他们的 照顾者和他们的家人。

It has been well established that neuropsychological tests are useful in diagnosing brain lesions and differentiating various forms of dementia. However, while we can characterize specific cognitive impairments in patients with dementia, we are unable to predict the type of limitations the patient is likely to experience in his/her daily activities. Making such predictions is essential, particularly in the early stages of a dementing illness when the patient and the family need to know functional capabilities and limitations. The purpose of the current project is to further determine the relationship between neuropsychological test scores, actual everyday functional ability and caregiver burden in patients with Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and vascular dementia. An additional goal of this project is to determine whether the rate of cognitive decline can predict the rate of functional impairment in patients and the rate of caregiver burden/stress. These three patient groups are ideal to study since 1) they are among the most common forms of dementia in the elderly, and 2) they present with different cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Neuropsychological test and activities of daily living tests will be administered to patients, and a multidimensional caregiver burden instrument, psychiatric symptom questionnaires and a behavioral rating scale regarding the patient will administered to caregivers at two different test probes (separated by approximately 18 month intervals). The ability to predict functional limitations in patients, as well as burden of care experienced by caregivers based on the patients' neuropsychological test and behavioral scores will be assessed in each group of patients. Knowledge about these relationships will undoubtedly enable healthcare professionals to more effectively use neuropsychological results when planning treatment for patients, their caregivers and their families.