Aggression Severity as a Predictor of Mortality in Dementia.

OBJECTIVES: In psychogeriatric units for patients with dementia and behavioral problems, aggression is prevalent. Predictions and timely interventions of aggression are essential to create a safe environment and prevent adverse outcomes. Our study aimed to determine whether aggression severity early during admission to these units could be used as an indicator of adverse outcomes. DESIGN: During one year, all aggressive incidents on a psychogeriatric unit were systematically recorded using the Revised Staff Observation of Aggression Scale (SOAS-R). The study investigated the link between the severity of incidents within the first 48 hours of admission and adverse outcomes. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All patients included in the study were admitted to a psychogeriatric unit for dementia and behavioral problems between November 2020 and October 2021. METHODS: The study population was categorized into groups according to the level of aggression severity during the first 48 hours of admission. The impact of aggression severity on the duration of admission, aggression frequency and severity during admission, medication usage at discharge, discharge destination, and mortality risk were examined. RESULTS: During the initial 2 days of admission, 9 of 88 patients had 1 or more severe aggression incidents. An early manifestation of severe aggression was significantly associated with more incidents during hospitalization, a higher total SOAS-R score, and a sevenfold higher 1-year mortality risk compared with patients who did not or only mildly manifested aggression in the first 48 hours of admission. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: An early manifestation of aggression not only poses a direct safety risk to all involved but is also an early indicator of patients at risk for more detrimental outcomes, specifically mortality risk. By identifying patients at higher risk for adverse outcomes early, health care providers can provide preventive or timelier interventions, mitigating the risk of adverse outcomes and optimizing care services.

Acoustic stimulation as a promising technique to enhance slow-wave sleep in Alzheimer's disease: results of a pilot study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Sleep disturbances are common in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and a reduction in slow-wave activity is the most striking underlying change. Acoustic stimulation has emerged as a promising approach to enhance slow-wave activity in healthy adults and people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. In this phase 1 study we investigated, for the first time, the feasibility of acoustic stimulation in AD and piloted the effect on slow-wave sleep (SWS). METHODS: Eleven adults with mild to moderate AD first wore the DREEM 2 headband for 2 nights to establish a baseline registration. Using machine learning, the DREEM 2 headband automatically scores sleep stages in real time. Subsequently, the participants wore the headband for 14 consecutive "stimulation nights" at home. During these nights, the device applied phase-locked acoustic stimulation of 40-dB pink noise delivered over 2 bone-conductance transducers targeted to the up-phase of the delta wave or SHAM, if it detected SWS in sufficiently high-quality data. RESULTS: Results of the DREEM 2 headband algorithm show a significant average increase in SWS (minutes) [t(3.17) = 33.57, P = .019] between the beginning and end of the intervention, almost twice as much time was spent in SWS. Consensus scoring of electroencephalography data confirmed this trend of more time spent in SWS [t(2.4) = 26.07, P = .053]. CONCLUSIONS: Our phase 1 study provided the first evidence that targeted acoustic stimuli is feasible and could increase SWS in AD significantly. Future studies should further test and optimize the effect of stimulation on SWS in AD in a large randomized controlled trial. CITATION: Van den Bulcke L, Peeters A-M, Heremans E, et al. Acoustic stimulation as a promising technique to enhance slow-wave sleep in Alzheimer's disease: results of a pilot study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(12):2107-2112.

Electrophysiologic Evidence That Directional Deep Brain Stimulation Activates Distinct Neural Circuits in Patients With Parkinson Disease.

OBJECTIVES: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) delivered via multicontact leads implanted in the basal ganglia is an established therapy to treat Parkinson disease (PD). However, the different neural circuits that can be modulated through stimulation on different DBS contacts are poorly understood. Evidence shows that electrically stimulating the subthalamic nucleus (STN) causes a therapeutic effect through antidromic activation of the hyperdirect pathway-a monosynaptic connection from the cortex to the STN. Recent studies suggest that stimulating the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) may improve gait. The advent of directional DBS leads now provides a spatially precise means to probe these neural circuits and better understand how DBS affects distinct neural networks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured cortical evoked potentials (EPs) using electroencephalography (EEG) in response to low-frequency DBS using the different directional DBS contacts in eight patients with PD. RESULTS: A short-latency EP at 3 milliseconds originating from the primary motor cortex appeared largest in amplitude when stimulating DBS contacts closest to the dorsolateral STN (p < 0.001). A long-latency EP at 10 milliseconds originating from the premotor cortex appeared strongest for DBS contacts closest to the SNr (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that at the individual patient level, electrical stimulation of different nuclei produces distinct EP signatures. Our approach could be used to identify the functional location of each DBS contact and thus help patient-specific DBS programming. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The ClinicalTrials.gov registration number for the study is NCT04658641.

Toward Quantification of Agitation in People With Dementia Using Multimodal Sensing.

Background and Objectives: Agitation, a critical behavioral and psychological symptom in dementia, has a profound impact on a patients' quality of life as well as their caregivers'. Autonomous and objective characterization of agitation with multimodal systems has the potential to capture key patient responses or agitation triggers. Research Design and Methods: In this article, we describe our multimodal system design that encompasses contextual parameters, physiological parameters, and psychological parameters. This design is the first to include all three of these facets in an n > 1 study. Using a combination of fixed and wearable sensors and a custom-made app for psychological annotation, we aim to identify physiological markers and contextual triggers of agitation. Results: A discussion of both the clinical as well as the technical implementation of the to-date data collection protocol is presented, as well as initial insights into pilot study data collection. Discussion and Implications: The ongoing data collection moves us toward improved agitation quantification and subsequent prediction, eventually enabling just-in-time intervention.