NEUROPSYCHIATRIC AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF DELUSIONS IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

We examined the prevalence, phenomenology, and clinical correlates of delusions in a consecutive series of 103 patients with probable Alzhei mer's disease (AD). Patients were examined with the Present State Exam and the Dementia-Psychosis Scale. Twenty-one patients (20%) met DSM-I II-R criteria for a delusional disorder. The most frequent delusion ty pe was paranoid (71%), followed by hypochondriacal (67%), the Capgras syndrome (29%), house misidentification (29%), and grandiose delusions (29%). Out of the 21 AD patients with delusions, 76% had three or mor e different types of delusions simultaneously. The frequency of delusi ons was not significantly associated with age, education, or age at de mentia onset, and the type and severity of cognitive impairments was s imilar for AD patients with and without delusions. However, AD patient s with delusions had significantly higher mania and anosognosia scores .