Neurobiology of apathy in Alzheimer's disease

作者：Guimaraes Henrique Cerqueira; Levy Richard; Teixeira Antonio Lucio; Beato Rogerio Gomes; Caramelli Paulo^*

来源：Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, 2008, 66(2B): 436-443.

DOI：10.1590/S0004-282X2008000300035

• apathy
• Alzheimer's disease
• decision-making
• orbito-frontal cortex
• anterior cingulate cortex
• basal ganglia
• dopamine

Apathy is considered the most frequent neuropsychiatric disturbance in dementia and its outcome is generally deleterious. Apathy can be related to a dysfunction of the anatomical-system that supports the generation of voluntary actions, namely the prefrontal cortex and/or the prefrontal-subcortical circuits. In Alzheimer's disease, pathological and neuroimaging data indicate that apathy is likely due to a dysfunction of the medial prefrontal cortex. Accordingly, in this review article, we propose a pathophysiological model to explain apathetic behavior in Alzheimer's disease, combining data from neuroimaging, neuropathology and experimental research on the role of orbito-frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, basal ganglia and dopamine in decision-making neurobiology.

• 出版日期2008-6