Significance of behavioral pathology on functional performance in individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Abstract

Insight on the role of frontal systems functioning has led to the development of measures targeting behaviors mediated through the prefrontal cortex. The current review investigated the relationship of behavioral pathology to functional performance in individuals with dementia and discussed the association of behavioral pathology and executive dysfunction. Results indicated that both behavioral measures and cognitive status were strongly correlated to functional performance. However, neither behavioral measure nor cognitive status demonstrated a stronger association to functional performance at a greater consistency than the other measure. This review has important implications for the use of behavior measures by medical practitioners to determine the functional status of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias and the use of results obtained by these measures to develop appropriate intervention strategies.