Publication type: Article in scientific journal
Type of review: Peer review (publication)
Title: Emotional reaction in nursing home residents with dementia-associated apathy: a pilot study
Authors: Treusch, Yvonne
Page, Julie
van der Luijt, Cornelis
Beciri, Mina
Benitez, Rebeca
Stammler, Maria
Marcar, Valentine Leslie
DOI: 10.1016/j.gmhc.2015.04.001
Published in: Geriatric Mental Health Care
Volume(Issue): 3
Issue: 1
Page(s): 1
Pages to: 6
Issue Date: Aug-2015
Publisher / Ed. Institution: Elsevier
ISSN: 2212-9693
Language: English
Subject (DDC): 302: Social interaction
610.73: Nursing
618.97: Geriatrics
Abstract: Introduction: Conventionally apathy is defined as a symptom primarily characterized by loss of feelings and emotional display and is the most common behavioural symptom in dementia patients. Neuronal network of emotions has ceased to function in patients suffering from dementia associated apathy. Objective and methods: We measured changes in skin conductance and heart rate from n = 12 demented nursing home residents with clinical significant apathy (sumscore > 40 in the Apathy Evaluation Scale, AES) to images taken from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS, Lang et al., 2008). Additionally we used autobiographical material to study the responsiveness of the neuronal network of emotions and the adequacy of somatic indicators to demonstrate emotional reactions in individuals diagnosed with dementia and apathy. Results: Analysis of the EDA data revealed a significant difference in the change of skin conductance between the different image categories. The autobiographical material generated the largest change in skin conductance. Analysis of the heart rate did not yield any significant difference between the image categories. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the neuronal network underlying emotion is still responsive in patients diagnosed with dementia associated apathy, although residents don׳t seem to be involved emotionally from an extraneous visual focus. Non pharmacological therapy approaches should deal with individual, familiar, autobiographic material to ensure a high level of emotional response and therefore reduce apathy severity.
URI: https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/4805
Fulltext version: Published version
License (according to publishing contract): Licence according to publishing contract
Departement: School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit: Institute of Occupational Therapy (IER)
Appears in collections:Publikationen Gesundheit

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Treusch, Y., Page, J., van der Luijt, C., Beciri, M., Benitez, R., Stammler, M., & Marcar, V. L. (2015). Emotional reaction in nursing home residents with dementia-associated apathy: a pilot study. Geriatric Mental Health Care, 3(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gmhc.2015.04.001
Treusch, Y. et al. (2015) ‘Emotional reaction in nursing home residents with dementia-associated apathy: a pilot study’, Geriatric Mental Health Care, 3(1), pp. 1–6. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gmhc.2015.04.001.
Y. Treusch et al., “Emotional reaction in nursing home residents with dementia-associated apathy: a pilot study,” Geriatric Mental Health Care, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1–6, Aug. 2015, doi: 10.1016/j.gmhc.2015.04.001.
TREUSCH, Yvonne, Julie PAGE, Cornelis VAN DER LUIJT, Mina BECIRI, Rebeca BENITEZ, Maria STAMMLER und Valentine Leslie MARCAR, 2015. Emotional reaction in nursing home residents with dementia-associated apathy: a pilot study. Geriatric Mental Health Care. August 2015. Bd. 3, Nr. 1, S. 1–6. DOI 10.1016/j.gmhc.2015.04.001
Treusch, Yvonne, Julie Page, Cornelis van der Luijt, Mina Beciri, Rebeca Benitez, Maria Stammler, and Valentine Leslie Marcar. 2015. “Emotional Reaction in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia-Associated Apathy: A Pilot Study.” Geriatric Mental Health Care 3 (1): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gmhc.2015.04.001.
Treusch, Yvonne, et al. “Emotional Reaction in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia-Associated Apathy: A Pilot Study.” Geriatric Mental Health Care, vol. 3, no. 1, Aug. 2015, pp. 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gmhc.2015.04.001.


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