The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2013
Abnormal level of arousal as a predictor of delirium and inattention: an exploratory study.
Abnormal level of arousal (LoA) and inattention are key features of delirium. However, the extent to which abnormal LoA alone might predict delirium and inattention is unclear. Here we tested the hypotheses that (1) patients with abnormal LoA have delirium, and (2) abnormal LoA is associated with worse performance on tests of attention. ⋯ These exploratory findings suggest that abnormal LoA is a strong indicator of delirium. Also, abnormal LoA is strongly associated with inattention as measured by an objective cognitive test. These findings suggest that acute-onset abnormal LoA could be used as a trigger for delirium assessment in routine clinical practice. Future work will help to clarify further the interrelationships among abnormal LoA, inattention, and delirium.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2013
Delirium and cerebrospinal fluid S100B in hip fracture patients: a preliminary study.
Delirium is associated with an increased risk of long-term cognitive decline, suggesting the possibility of concurrent central nervous system (CNS) injury. S100B is a putative biomarker of CNS injury and elevated serum levels in delirium have been reported. Here we hypothesize that delirium is associated with raised concentrations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) S100B. ⋯ This study provides preliminary evidence of elevated CSF S100B in current delirium, consistent with findings in serum and with other studies showing elevated S100B in the presence of diverse forms of CNS injury.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2013
Anxiety, depression, and fall-related psychological concerns in community-dwelling older people.
Establish the association between affect and fall-related psychological concerns (fear of falling, fall-related self-efficacy, balance confidence, and outcome expectancy). ⋯ This is the first study that investigates the association between affect and the four fall-related psychological concerns. Anxiety was a significant factor associated with all four, whereas depression was only associated with activity avoidance. Implications for healthcare providers are discussed.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Nov 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialAnimal-assisted therapy and agitation and depression in nursing home residents with dementia: a matched case-control trial.
To investigate the efficacy of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on symptoms of agitation/aggression and depression in nursing home residents with dementia in a randomized controlled trial. Previous studies have indicated that AAT has beneficial effects on neuropsychiatric symptoms in various psychiatric disorders but few studies have investigated the efficacy of AAT in patients suffering from dementia. ⋯ AAT is a promising option for the treatment of agitation/aggression and depression in patients with dementia. Our results suggest that AAT may delay progression of neuropsychiatric symptoms in demented nursing home residents. Further research is needed to determine its long-time effects.