Social Cognition and Personality Changes in Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Disease & Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

Official Title
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Assessing Changes in Social Cognition and Personality in Patients With Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease and Their Effect on the Patient-caregiver Relationship

Conditions
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Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Observational Study


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Patients: ability to speak and understand the English language (as questionnaires and tests are only available in English) Caregivers: primary caregiver for a given patient ability to speak and understand the English language (as questionnaires and tests are only available in English) Exclusion Criteria: Patients and Caregivers: history of another neurological disorder psychiatric disorder severe aphasia (semantic word loss) visual deficits requiring correction beyond the use of eyeglasses or contact lenses (intact visual acuity is required for completing both the questionnaires and the emotion evaluation test which consists of video vignettes) auditory deficits requiring correction beyond hearing aids (videos have auditory component) Patients: presence of pacemakers, aneurysm clips, artificial heart valves, ear implants, metal fragments or foreign objects in the eyes, skin or body will be excluded as they will be unable to have a MRI scan. premenopausal women will be excluded due to the unknown risk of MRIs during pregnancy.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 50 Years
Maximum Age: 90 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Alzheimer's disease<br>Observational Study | Behavioral: Observational Study<br>* This is an observational study.<br>|
| Parkinson's disease<br>Observational Study | Behavioral: Observational Study<br>* This is an observational study.<br>|
| Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration<br>Observational Study | Behavioral: Observational Study<br>* This is an observational study.<br>|
| Healthy Controls<br>Observational Study | Behavioral: Observational Study<br>* This is an observational study.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personality via the Interpersonal Adjectives Scales and differences between AD, PD, and FTLD | Assesses interpersonal aspects of personality | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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 | one time visit, through study completion of 3 years |