Tardive Dyskinesia in Alzheimer's Disease: Clinical Features and Neuropathologic Correlates

• Published in: Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology 1991-04, Vol.4 (2), p.79-85
• Main Authors: McDaniel, Keith D., Kazee, Ann Marie, Eskin, Thomas A., Hamill, Robert W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - complications; Alzheimer Disease - pathology; Biological and medical sciences; Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced - etiology; Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced - pathology; Female; General pharmacology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Risk Factors; Substantia Nigra - pathology
• ISSN: 0891-9887; 1552-5708
• DOI: 10.1177/089198879100400205

Medical record review was conducted on 14 patients with neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease, all of whom had been treated with antipsychotic medications, to determine the relationship between neuropathology and the development of tardive dyskinesia. Four cases were found to have chart descriptions of hyperkinetic movement disorders consistent with tardive dyskinesia. When the group with tardive dyskinesia was compared to the group without tardive dyskinesia, there were no statistically significant differences regarding gender, age of onset of dementia, duration of de mentia, age at death, or duration of antipsychotic treatment. Neuropathologic comparisons revealed greater degenerative changes in the substantia nigra in those patients with tardive dyskinesia. These preliminary observations suggest that patients with Alzheimer's disease and significant coexisting substantia nigra pathologic changes may be at higher risk for developing tardive dyskinesia when treated with antipsychotic medication (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1991;4:79-85).