Actigraphic measurement of agitated behaviour in dementia

• Published in: International journal of geriatric psychiatry Vol. 21; no. 4; pp. 388 - 393
• Main Authors: Nagels, Guy, Engelborghs, Sebastiaan, Vloeberghs, Ellen, Van Dam, Debby, Pickut, Barbara A., De Deyn, Peter Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.04.2006; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: actigraphy; Aged; agitation; Alzheimer Disease - complications; Alzheimer's disease; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; BPSD; Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dementia; Dementia - complications; Dementia, Vascular - complications; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Geriatric psychiatry; Geriatrics; Humans; Lewy Body Disease - complications; Male; Measurement techniques; Medical equipment; Medical sciences; Neurology; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychoanalysis; Psychological Techniques - standards; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychomotor Agitation - diagnosis; Psychomotor Agitation - etiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Human; BPSD; Nervous system diseases; Agitation; Actigraphy; Psychometrics; Cerebral disorder; Senile dementia; Behavioral disorder; Gerontology; Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory; Central nervous system disease; Mental disorder; dementia; Degenerative disease; Behavior; Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia; Elderly; Inventory; Geriatrics
• ISSN: 0885-6230; 1099-1166
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.1483

Objectives This study examines the correlation between actigraphic measures and a validated assessment scale of agitated behaviour in dementia, the Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI). Methods A total of 110 patients were included. Patients either suffered from Alzheimer dementia (AD), mixed dementia (MXD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or diffuse Lewy body disease (DLB). All patients underwent actigraphic recordings for 48 h. CMAI was scored by professional caretakers, who were responsible for the patient during his or her actigraphic recording. Results Patients with high total CMAI scores (≥ 50) clearly had higher levels of activity during the day as measured by means of actigraphy than patients with low total CMAI scores (ANOVA, F = 126.75, p < 0.0001). Patients with low MMSE scores (< 20) also had higher activity levels during the day than patients with higher MMSE scores (ANOVA, F = 85.74, p < 0.0001). Correlations between actigraphic data and CMAI total scores were moderate but highly significant. Conclusion We conclude that actigraphy is a useful tool to examine agitated behaviour in dementia. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.