You are seeing this message because your Web browser does not support basic Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing and what you can do to make your experience on this site better.


ABOUT ARCHIVES
Advanced Search

Welcome   | My Account | E-mail Alerts | Access Rights | Sign In


  Vol. 54 No. 8, August 1997 TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Archives
  •  Online Features
  ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS
 This Article
 •References
 •Full text PDF
 • Reply to article
 •Send to a friend
 • Save in My Folder
 •Save to citation manager
 •Permissions
 Citing Articles
 •Citation map
 •Citing articles on HighWire
 •Contact me when this article is cited
 Related Content
 •Similar articles in this journal
 Social Bookmarking
  Add to CiteULike Add to Connotea Add to Del.icio.us Add to Digg Add to Reddit Add to Technorati Add to Twitter What's this?

Extrapyramidal Signs in Patients With Probable Alzheimer Disease

Oscar L. Lopez, MD; Steven R. Wisnieski, PhD; James T. Becker, PhD; François Boiler, MD, PhD; Steven T. DeKosky, MD

Arch Neurol. 1997;54(8):969-975.


Abstract

Objective
To examine whether extrapyramidal signs (EPSs) were associated with more rapid progression of Alzheimer disease (AD).

Design
Cross-sectional with longitudinal follow-up and the likelihood of arriving at 4 end points: Mini-Mental State Examination score of less than 9, Blessed Dementia Rating Scale score for activities of daily living of 15 or more, institutionalization, and death using a proportional hazard model with 6 variables: overall EPSs, bradykinesia, tremors, abnormal gait, cogwheel rigidity, and postural instability.

Setting
Multidisciplinary behavioral neurology research clinic.

Patients
We examined the individual EPS characteristics of 164 patients with mild—moderately probable AD, free of neuroleptic medication, participating in a longitudinal study of dementia.

Results
Patients with AD with EPSs (n=51 [31%]) were older (P>.001) and had lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores (P=.003) than those without EPSs at study entry. Bradykinesia was present in 35 (69%) of the 51 patients with EPSs, abnormal gait in 18 (35%), rigidity in 10 (20%), postural instability in 10 (20%), tremors in 7 (14%), and oral-mandibular dyskinesia in 2 (4%). Using proportional hazard analysis with time-dependent covariates for overall EPSs and individual EPSs, adjusted by age at study entry, education, Mini-Mental State Examination score, and Blessed Dementia Rating Scale score for activities of daily living, the development of EPSs was associated with time to institutionalization (P<.001) but not with cognitive (eg, Mini-Mental State Examination score <9) or functional (eg, Blessed Dementia Rating Scale score ≥15) decline or death. However, when we examined severity of the EPSs, as measured by the New York University Parkinson's Disease Scale, the development of EPSs was associated with functional decline (P=.005). Of the individual EPSs, rigidity predicted death (P<.001) and institutionalization (P=.03), whereas tremors predicted functional decline (P=.02).

Conclusions
In this cohort, the presence or absence of EPSs is related to time to institutionalization, but not to severe cognitive or functional impairment or death. However, when severity of the extrapyramidal phenomenon is taken into account, EPSs are related to functional decline. Further, it appears that a subgroup of patients with AD with EPSs, where cogwheel rigidity and tremors are the core signs, can have a worse outcome.



Author Affiliations

From the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Drs Lopez, Wisnieski, Becker, and DeKosky), Departments of Neurology (Drs Lopez, Becker, and DeKosky), Psychiatry (Drs Becker and DeKosky), and Epidemiology (Dr Wisnieski), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa, and Centre Paul Broca, Paris, France (Dr Boiler).



Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Extrapyramidal Signs Before and After Diagnosis of Incident Alzheimer Disease in a Prospective Population Study
Portet et al.
Arch Neurol 2009;66:1120-1126.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Disruptive Behavior as a Predictor in Alzheimer Disease
Scarmeas et al.
Arch Neurol 2007;64:1755-1761.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The progression of cognition, psychiatric symptoms, and functional abilities in dementia with lewy bodies and Alzheimer disease.
Stavitsky et al.
Arch Neurol 2006;63:1450-1456.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Nigrostriatal Dysfunction in Familial Alzheimer's Disease-Linked APPswe/PS1{Delta}E9 Transgenic Mice
Perez et al.
J. Neurosci. 2005;25:10220-10229.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Delusions and Hallucinations Are Associated With Worse Outcome in Alzheimer Disease
Scarmeas et al.
Arch Neurol 2005;62:1601-1608.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Motor signs predict poor outcomes in Alzheimer disease
Scarmeas et al.
Neurology 2005;64:1696-1703.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Motor signs during the course of Alzheimer disease
Scarmeas et al.
Neurology 2004;63:975-982.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Cholinesterase inhibitor treatment alters the natural history of Alzheimer's disease
Lopez et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2002;72:310-314.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Assessment of health economics in Alzheimer's disease (AHEAD) based on need for full-time care
Caro et al.
Neurology 2001;57:964-971.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Extrapyramidal symptoms and signs in Alzheimer's disease: Pravalence and correlation with the first symptom
Tsolaki et al.
AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMEN 2001;16:268-278.
ABSTRACT  

Response of Patients With Alzheimer Disease to Rivastigmine Treatment Is Predicted by the Rate of Disease Progression
Farlow et al.
Arch Neurol 2001;58:417-422.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Progression of Parkinsonism and Loss of Cognitive Function in Alzheimer Disease
Wilson et al.
Arch Neurol 2000;57:855-860.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Predictors of progression in patients with AD and Lewy bodies
Lopez et al.
Neurology 2000;54:1774-1779.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Severity of cognitive impairment and the clinical diagnosis of AD with Lewy bodies
Lopez et al.
Neurology 2000;54:1780-1787.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Progression of parkinsonian signs in Alzheimer's disease
Wilson et al.
Neurology 2000;54:1284-1289.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Motor dysfunction in mildly demented AD individuals without extrapyramidal signs
Goldman et al.
Neurology 1999;53:956-956.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Striatal dopaminergic markers in dementia with Lewy bodies, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases: rostrocaudal distribution
Piggott et al.
Brain 1999;122:1449-1468.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  





HOME | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES | TOPIC COLLECTIONS | CME | SUBMIT | SUBSCRIBE | HELP
CONDITIONS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT US | SITE MAP
 
© 1997 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.