Characterizing and Measuring Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD)

Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) conceivably represent the major challenge for any practicing healthcare professional when facing people affected by dementia. The magnitude of the BPSD problem can be appreciated, first and foremost, by the very high prevalence and heterogeneity of its manifestations since the earliest phases, even when dementia or mild cognitive decline are not yet present. Furthermore, many of these symptoms may be extremely disruptive for the management of people with dementia, and caregivers report BPSD as one major distress source, often asking for immediate solutions. Usually, this chain of events leads to an escalation of drug regimens with increasing risks for the person’s health, often being the main reason for nursing home placement. However, beneath this nodal point inevitably lies one significant bias: we mainly assess BPSD expression, severity, frequency, and –by definition– burden relevance, indirectly, using caregivers’ reports, thus implying a potentially massive variability and subjectivity bias.

This Research Topic aims to highlight the latest advancements in research on the multimodal characterization and assessment of BPSD. Our goal is to expand the knowledge of methods and practice to measure BPSD severity and impact by different, and perhaps complementary, modalities, which may objectify the perception of this clinical problem, leading to more rationally designed trials and more effective treatments.

We welcome the submission of any type of manuscript supported by the journal (including Original Research, Review, etc.) addressing this pivotal issue for the management of people with dementia and caregivers’ well-being. Submissions are encouraged from different specialists working in the field (neurologists, geriatricians, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, psychologists, and nurses, among others) in order to get a wide-ranging view of the many facets of this topic. Themes of interest for this Research Topic may be pertaining but not limited to the following:
- Comparison and integration of BPSD evaluations based on different modalities
- Methods and practice to improve the objectivity of caregivers’ reports
- Implementation of innovative BPSD measures and methods
- The impact of the environmental setting on BPSD measures
- Innovative BPSD evaluations for treatment selection
- Objective BPSD measures to support caregivers in BPSD recognition and management
- BPSD evaluation methods specifically designed for emergency and diverse modes of teleconsultation

Dr. Dallas Seitz acts as Principal Investigator in a project funded by University Hospital Foundation-Alberta Roche Partnership about Health Alzheimer’s Disease in Alberta. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.