Table 1.
Baseline demographic and behavioral characteristics of the study population
| AD (n = 99) | MCI (n = 48) | p value | |
| Age, years (±SD) | 76.63 ± 6.17 | 71.02 ± 6.61 | <0.001 |
| Female gender, n (%) | 67 (67.7) | 38 (79.2) | 0.176 |
| Education, years (±SD) | 9.68 ± 3.68 | 11.83 ± 4.13 | 0.001 |
| MMSE, points (±SD) | 19.65 ± 4.63 | 27.6 ± 1.71 | <0.001 |
| CDR, points (±SD) | 1.34 ± 0.48 | 0.5 (0) | <0.001 |
| Behavioral symptoms during the study, n (%) | 89 (89.9) | 34 (70.8) | 0.007 |
| Mean number of NPI symptoms, n (±SD) | 4.19 ± 2.76 | 1.44 ± 1.27 | <0.001 |
| Significant behavioral burden (>3 symptoms on the NPI), n (%) | 54 (54.5) | 4 (8.3) | <0.001 |
| Delusions, n (%) | 29 (29.3) | 2 (4.2) | <0.001 |
| Hallucinations, n (%) | 21 (21.2) | 0 | <0.001 |
| Agitation/aggression, n (%) | 40 (40.4) | 2 (4.2) | <0.001 |
| Depression/dysphoria, n (%) | 49 (49.5) | 8 (16.7) | <0.001 |
| Anxiety, n (%) | 38 (38.4) | 14 (29.2) | 0.36 |
| Elation/euphoria, n (%) | 4 (4) | 0 | 0.30 |
| Apathy/indifference, n (%) | 60 (60.6) | 10 (20.8) | <0.001 |
| Disinhibition, n (%) | 13 (13.1) | 1 (2.1) | 0.03 |
| Irritability/emotional lability, n (%) | 62 (62.6) | 14 (29.2) | <0.001 |
| Aberrant motor behavior, n (%) | 30 (30.3) | 0 | <0.001 |
| Sleep and night-time behavior change, n (%) | 40 (40.4) | 14 (29.2) | 0.25 |
| Appetite and eating change, n (%) | 29 (29.3) | 4 (8.3) | <0.001 |
AD, Alzheimer disease; CDR, Clinical Dementia Rating; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; NPI, Neuropsychiatric Inventory; SD, standard deviation