Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with significant cognitive and neuropsychiatric disturbance and is a leading cause of disability in the elderly. Much of the disability associated with AD is a result of impairments in activities of daily living (ADLs). ADL impairments compromise the ability to live independently, result in a markedly diminished quality of life for AD patients and their caregivers, and contribute to increased health care utilization. Despite the awareness of the disability associated with ADL impairment in AD, the determinants of functional impairment in AD remain unclear. The proposed study will examine the role of specific cognitive and neuropsychiatric factors in determining performance of ADL's in patients with AD as compared to healthy elderly controls. Participants will include 40 patients with AD and 40 healthy elderly controls. Relationships between specific aspects of cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and ADLs will be examined using multiple regression analyses. The results of the current project are expected to contribute to the knowledge of the factors associated with disability in AD. These data will be used as pilot data for a planned R01 involving a longitudinal investigation of the relationship between cognition, neuropsychiatric status, and functional impairment in patients with AD. These data will be also be used in future research studies of the effectiveness of specific behavioral interventions for treating neuropsychiatric disturbance in patients with AD.
