An informant-based assessment of apathy in XXXX .

@entity1 @entity308 @entity146 @entity303 @entity73 @entity195
OBJECTIVE: To standardize a new rating scale for the assessment of apathy in @entity195 (AD) and report on its reliability, structure, and relation to other clinical features of AD. BACKGROUND: apathy is a common prominent @entity146 accompanying AD and is associated with excess disability and increased caregiver burden. Current instruments for the assessment of apathy in AD do not explicitly and systematically attempt to differentiate limited activity and engagement due to lack of interest from inability or longstanding, premorbid personality traits. The present assessment, the @entity303 Apathy Interview and Rating (DAIR), was developed taking these discriminations into account in question construction and interview format. METHODS: One hundred @entity1 (50% @entity1 ) in the University Memory and Aging Center Research Registry with Probable or Possible AD (by NINCDS-ADRDA criteria) were assessed through caregiver interview or direct @entity1 assessment for apathy, @entity308 , and severity of @entity73 . Item distribution characteristics, factor analysis, and evaluation of reliability were used to develop the final item set for the DAIR, and correlations with other measures were examined. RESULTS: A 16-item unidimensional apathy scale with excellent internal consistency (alpha = 0.89) and temporal reliability ( = 0.85 over 2 months) was developed. Individual differences in apathy on the DAIR were unrelated to dysphoria. Apathy was significantly associated with functional and @entity73 , while @entity308 was not. CONCLUSIONS: The DAIR is a reliable informant-based assessment of apathy in @entity1 with AD. Although apathy is assessed with respect to behaviors within the repertoire of @entity1 , this @entity146 remains associated with more severe deficits in cognitive and adaptive functioning. Associations between @entity308 and @entity303 severity reported in some studies may reflect the confounding of apathy and @entity308 in some assessment instruments.
