Dysfunction of the brain reward system in apathy associated with Alzheimer's disease
Subtitle: neuroanatomical correlates and evaluation of measures sensitive to changes induced by dextroamphetamine.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 225
Description: The etiology of apathy in Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains to be elucidated. For this thesis, it was hypothesized that apathy was linked to dysfunction in the Brain Reward System (BRS). Two studies were conducted. In the first, 24 apathetic compared with 29 non-apathetic AD outpatients showed significant perfusion differences in key BRS areas as shown by Technetium-99m-labelled ethylcysteinate dimer (99mTc-ECD SPECT). In the second, important characteristic subjective and objective effects of a BRS stimulant were detected in five apathetic and one non-apathetic AD outpatients prior to and following a 10mg dose of dextroamphetamine. Hence, there may be an underlying dysfunction in the BRS that may lead to the manifestation of apathy in AD patients.
Notes: Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-02, page: 0830.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

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