The aim of this study is to compare personality and social cognition changes, including emotion detection and self-awareness, and neuroanatomical correlates in patients, and how that affects the caregiver-patient relationship.
The purpose of this study is to understand social cognition changes in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), which includes Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD - behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, progressive non-fluent aphasia and semantic dementia), and the effect of these changes on the patients' relationship with their caregivers. In addition, the study aims to provide a greater clarity in the neuroanatomical correlates of social cognition in patients with FTLD, PD and AD.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
120
This is an observational study.
Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Personality via the Interpersonal Adjectives Scales and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses interpersonal aspects of personality
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Personality via the Behaviour Inhibition/Approach Scale (BIS/BAS) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses the behavioural approach system that regulates appetitive motives, in which the goal is to move toward something desired, and the behavioural avoidance (or inhibition) system that regulates aversive motives, in which the goal is to move away from something unpleasant
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Personality via the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses the patient's Big Five dimensions (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) with respect to past and current behavior
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Social cognition via Social Norms Questionnaire and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses the patient's understanding of culturally relevant social norms
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Social cognition via Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses the patient's empathy or ability to share in another's mental and emotional experience
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Social cognition via Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses the patient's sensitivity to the expressive behaviour of others and their ability to monitor their self-presentation
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Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Social cognition via Social Behaviour Observer Checklist and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses behaviors specific to behavioural variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD) and is helpful in differentiating bvFTD versus Alzheimer's disease.
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses 12 neuropsychiatric disturbances commonly encountered in patients with dementia, including: delusions, hallucinations, agitation, dysphoria, anxiety, apathy, irritability, euphoria, disinhibition, aberrant motor behaviour, night-time behaviour disturbances, and appetite and eating abnormalities
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses 8 domains of global dementia, including: memory, orientation, judgment/problem solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, personal care, behavioural comportment and personality, and language
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses functional capacity in older adults
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Behavioural Tests composite score and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Orientation, Digit span backward and forward, Naming, Modified trails, Benson figure copy, Cerad, Clock draw
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Emotion Evaluation Task (EET) portion of The Awareness of Social Inference Test and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses the recognition of six basic emotions commonly recognized across cultures (happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, fear) as well as a seventh "neutral" emotion. The emotions are presented via video vignettes. After viewing each scene, the patient will be asked to choose the emotion represented from a list of seven emotional categories. The caregiver will complete the test separately, and be asked both to guess the emotion in each vignette, and to speculate on which emotion the patient will guess.
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Assesses mood and depression in geriatric patients
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years
Neuroimaging and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD
Functional connectivity of networks associated with social cognition and personality
Time frame: one time visit, through study completion of 3 years