%0 Journal Article
%T Apathy and Cognitive Test Performance in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Testing
%A Lynn Reese Kakos
%A Michael L. Alosco
%A Mary Beth Spitznagel
%A Joel Hughes
%A Jim Rosneck
%A John Gunstad
%J Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/659589
%X Background. Psychiatric comorbidity is common in patients with cardiovascular disease, with the literature indicating that this population may be at risk for apathy. The current study examined the prevalence of apathy in patients with cardiovascular disease and its relation to aspects of cognitive function. Methods. 123 participants from an outpatient cardiology clinic completed a brief neuropsychological battery, a cardiac stress test, and demographic information, medical history, and depression symptomatology self-report measures. Participants also completed the Apathy Evaluation Scale to quantify apathy. Results. These subjects reported limited levels of apathy and depression. Increased depressive symptomatology, history of heart attack, and metabolic equivalents were significantly correlated with apathy ( ). Partial correlations adjusting for these factors revealed significant correlations between behavioral apathy and a measure of executive function and the other apathy subscale with a measure of attention. Conclusion. Findings revealed that apathy was not prevalent in this sample though associated with medical variables. Apathy was largely unrelated to cognitive function. This pattern may be a result of the mild levels of cardiovascular disease and cognitive dysfunction in the current sample. Future studies in samples with severe cardiovascular disease or neuropsychological impairment may provide insight into these associations. 1. Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects nearly 83 million Americans [1] and is the leading cause of disability and mortality [2]. CVD is also associated with heightened risk for neurological disorders (i.e., Alzheimer＊s disease) and structural brain changes (i.e., white matter hyperintensities [3每5]. Mild deficits in cognitive function are also observed in 15每20% of CVD patients, including frequent impairments in cognitive abilities such as attention, executive functioning, and psychomotor speed [6每9]. Psychiatric comorbidity is also prevalent in persons with CVD with nearly one-fourth of patients with CVD reporting symptoms congruent with a depression diagnosis [10每13]. This pattern is concerning, as CVD patients with depression are at increased risk for mortality [10每12]. Structural brain changes may in part account for depression comorbidity, as many persons with CVD exhibit neuropathology of brain regions commonly involved in depression [4, 14每17]. Similar to this high risk of depressive symptoms, recent work also suggests that CVD patients are at risk for apathy [18, 19]. Apathy is distinct from
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cpn/2013/659589/