PhD defence W.S. (Willem) Eikelboom

Summary:

Alzheimer’s disease is often perceived as a memory disorder. However, Alzheimer’s disease is more than memory deficits as nearly all individuals with Alzheimer’s disease show changes in behavior and emotions such as apathy, depressive symptoms, aggression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers consider these symptoms as most troublesome and distressing.

This thesis shows that neuropsychiatric symptoms are already prevalent in early Alzheimer’s disease. Although neuropsychiatric symptoms are common, this thesis emphasizes that there is a large heterogeneity between and within individuals regarding the course of these symptoms over time. Furthermore, this thesis highlights that neuropsychiatric symptoms are currently underrecognized in Alzheimer’s disease and reveals that there is no consensus among physicians on the role of memory clinic in the care for neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, this thesis presents a person-centered intervention that can be used to timely diagnose and manage neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease at the memory clinic.

This thesis provides further evidence that Alzheimer’s disease entails more than memory deficits as neuropsychiatric symptoms should be considered one of the core features of early Alzheimer’s disease as well. Doing so, this thesis hopes to contribute to the timely recognition and adequate treatment of these distressing symptoms, thereby improving the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.