Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Apr 30;6(5):379-386.
doi: 10.1002/mdc3.12767. eCollection 2019 Jun.

Factor Analysis of the Apathy Scale in Parkinson's Disease

Francesca V Lopez  1 , Graham M L Eglit  2   3 , Dawn M Schiehser  1   2 , Eva Pirogovsky-Turk  2 , Irene Litvan  4 , Stephanie Lessig  1   4 , J Vincent Filoteo  1   2   4
Affiliations

Factor Analysis of the Apathy Scale in Parkinson's Disease

Francesca V Lopez et al. Mov Disord Clin Pract. .

Abstract

Background: The Apathy Scale (AS), a popular measure of apathy in Parkinson's disease (PD), has been somewhat limited for failing to characterize dimensions of apathy, such as those involving cognitive, behavioral, and emotional apathy symptoms. This study sought to determine whether factors consistent with these apathy dimensions in PD could be identified on the AS, examine the associations between these factors and disease-related characteristics, and compare PD patients and healthy control (HCs) on identified factors.

Methods: Confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted on AS scores of 157 nondemented PD patients to identify AS factors. These factors were then correlated with important disease-related characteristics, and PD and HC participants were compared across these factors.

Results: Previously proposed AS models failed to achieve an adequate fit in CFA. A subsequent EFA revealed two factors on the AS reflecting joint cognitive-behavioral aspects of apathy (Motivation-Interest-Energy) and emotional apathy symptoms (Indifference). Both factors were associated with anxiety, depression, health-related quality of life, and independent activities of daily living, with Indifference associated more with the latter. In addition, only the Indifference factor was associated with cognitive functioning. PD patients reported higher levels of symptoms than HCs on both factors, with the group difference slightly larger on the Motivation-Interest-Energy factor.

Conclusion: The AS can be decomposed into two factors reflecting Motivation-Interest-Energy and Indifference symptoms. These factors are differentially associated with clinical variables, including cognition and independent activities of daily living, indicating the importance of evaluating apathy from a multidimensional perspective.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease; amotivation; apathy dimensions; indifference.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Starkstein SE, Mayberg HS, Leiguarda R, Preziosi TJ, Robinson RG. A prospective longitudinal study of depression, cognitive decline, and physical impairments in patients with Parkinson's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1992;55:377–382. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Isella V, Melzi P, Grimaldi M, et al. Clinical, neuropsychological, and morphometric correlates of apathy in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord 2002;17:366–371. - PubMed
    1. Kirsch‐Darrow L, Fernandez HF, Marsiske M, Okun MS, Bowers D. Dissociating apathy and depression in Parkinson disease. J Neurol 2006;67:33–38. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dujardin K, Sockeel P, Devos D, et al. Characteristics of apathy in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord 2007;22:778–784. - PubMed
    1. Pedersen KF, Alves G, Aarsland D, Larsen JP. Occurrence and risk factors for apathy in Parkinson disease: a 4‐year prospective longitudinal study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2009;80:1279–1282. - PubMed