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Background/Objective: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) have been reported to affect caregiver burden in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). However, the factor structure of BPSD and the factors that affect caregiver burden in DLB remain unknown. This study sought to classify BPSD and to reveal what type of BPSD affects caregiver burden in patients with DLB. Methods: We collected data on neuropsychiatric inventory-plus (NPI-plus), Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Lawton's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (IADL/PSMS), age, and sex of 102 patients with probable DLB. An exploratory factor analysis of 13 items of the NPI-plus was carried out to classify BPSD. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to extract the clinical variables related to caregiver burden, including factors resulting from the aforementioned factor analysis. Results: The mean age and MMSE score were 78.6 (5.6) and 20.2 (5.2), respectively. Factor analysis revealed four factors of "psychosis," "affection," "wakefulness," and "hyperactivity." "Psychosis" and "affection" factors as well as MMSE, IADL, and PSMS were significantly associated with ZBI. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that the total score of ZBI was associated with "psychosis," "affection," and IADL, that the personal strain score of ZBI was associated with "affection" and IADL, and that the role strain score of ZBI was associated with "wakefulness" and IADL. Conclusions: BPSD in DLB consists of three factors common to Alzheimer's disease and a specific "wakefulness" factor. In addition to IADL, each BPSD factor would affect caregiver burden in different ways in DLB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to clarify the neuropsychiatric symptoms of right-sided predominant semantic dementia (SD-R) by comparing them with those of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), left-sided predominant SD (SD-L), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study also aimed to identify clinical factors related to caregiver burden for bvFTD, SD-R, and SD-L. Methods: The neuropsychiatric symptoms of 28 patients with bvFTD, 14 patients with SD-R, 24 patients with SD-L, and 43 patients with AD were evaluated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and the Stereotypy Rating Inventory (SRI). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Dementia severity was assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating. Activities of daily living were assessed using the Lawton Instrument Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale and the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale. We compared the NPI and SRI scores among the four groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. In addition, clinical factors related to caregiver burden, represented by the Japanese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (J-ZBI), were analyzed using multiple regression analysis in the bvFTD, SD-R, and SD-L groups. Results: The NPI total score and the NPI subscale scores of apathy and disinhibition were significantly higher in the bvFTD group than in the SD-L and AD groups. The SD-R group scores were closer to those of the bvFTD group than the SD-L group. The SRI total score and SRI subscale scores for eating and cooking and speaking were significantly higher in the bvFTD, SD-R, and SD-L groups than in the AD group. The NPI total score was significantly associated with the J-ZBI score in the bvFTD group. The NPI total score and Lawton IADL scale score were independently associated with the J-ZBI score in the SD-R group. Furthermore, the NPI total score and MMSE score were independently associated with the J-ZBI score in the SD-L group. Conclusions: SD-R seemed to be a similar condition to bvFTD rather than SD-L regarding behavioral symptoms. Our results suggest that each frontotemporal dementia subgroup requires different approaches to reduce the caregiver burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]