Thursday, 21 August 2003: 13:45-15:15 | |||
S086 Biological Basis of BPSD | |||
| The Biological Basis of BPSD A wide range of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms are present in Dementia (BPSD) and most patients experience one or more BPSD during the course of their illness. However, their appearance is highly variable and they may, or may not, persist until death. BPSD are a major cause of distress for patients and carers alike but the biological basis for the heterogeneity of symptoms remains uncertain. It is only by a greater understanding of the biology of BPSD that a rational pharmaceutical approach to treatment can be achieved. This symposiums key objective is to bring together recent developments in our understanding of the biological basis of BPSD from the fields of neurochemistry, neuroimaging, neuropathology and genetics. Post mortem studies have sought correlations between neuropathological and neurochemical changes and the presence of BPSD prior to death. These studies have highlighted the importance of a number of neurochemical systems, especially the serotonergic system, and the presence of a wide range of BPSD. Disturbance of the cholinergic system, which has, historically, been largely associated with cognitive change, is now also being re-evaluated as an important determinant of BPSD. Post-mortem studies are, by definition, concerned with the end stage of the disease. However, functional imaging holds the promise of examining the integrity of neuropathology and neurochemistry and correlating these changes with the evolution of BPSD throughout the course of the illness. Whilst the timing and regional distribution of neurodegeneration and related neuropathological change is likely to be a major determinant of why BPSD present, genetic factors may be a major determinant of the marked heterogeneity of symptom presentation between individuals. | |||
| Chair: | Clive Holmes | ||
| S086-001 Clinical Features and Neurochemistry of BPSD Clive Ballard | |||
| S086-002 The Neurochemistry of Serotonin (5-HT) in Alzheimer's Disease and BPSD Christopher PL-H Chen, Mitchell K.P. Lai, Margaret M. Esiri, Paul T Francis, Tony Hope | |||
| S086-003 Exploring Behavioral Psychopathology in Dementia Using Functional Neuroimaging Mega S. Michael, Ivo D. Dinov, Andrew Wang | |||
| S086-004 The Genetics of BPSD Clive Holmes | |||
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