Differentiating Between Apathy and Depression in Patients With Parkinson Disease Dementia

In Parkinson disease (PD), apathy and depression often overlap, making it difficult to differentiate between them. This study sought to analyze apathy and depression in patients with PD dementia (PDD). Forty patients were diagnosed with PDD using the Movement Disorder Society criteria. A statistically significant correlation was identified between worsening dementia and an improvement in depression ( r = .3695; r² = .1365, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0985 to 05.894, P = .0044) and between worsening dementia and worsening apathy ( r = -.2578, r² = .0664, 95% CI: -0.5025 to .0251, P = .036). Depression had a greater correlation with advanced motor symptoms ( r = .4988, r² = .2438, 95% CI: 0.2218-0.7013, P = .0005]. In conclusion, depression was associated with less advanced PDD and more intense motor features, while apathy was associated with more advanced cognitive impairment.