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Answer Key: Pain, Progression, or Something Else? Quick Questions on Agitation in Alzheimer Disease

Miranda Manier, BA

Answer Key:

  1. True or False: Sudden agitation in a patient with Alzheimer disease should prompt an evaluation for pain, infections, or other medical issues before assuming it’s caused by dementia.
    Correct Answer: A. True
    An acute change in behavior or new agitation in patients with Alzheimer disease often indicates an underlying problem rather than just disease progression. Clinicians are advised to rule out triggers like pain, infection, medication side effects, or delirium whenever a patient with Alzheimer disease becomes agitated.
    Reference:
    Behavior & personality changes. University of California San Francisco Weill Institute Memory and Aging Center. Accessed May 22, 2025.https://memory.ucsf.edu/caregiving-support/behavior-personality-changes
  2. Which outcome is most consistently improved by music therapy for patients with Alzheimer disease?
    Correct Answer: B. Depression Symptoms
    In a recent systemic review of studies conducted between 2010 and 2020, depression symptoms were the most consistently improved outcome among geriatric patients with Alzheimer disease.
    Reference:
    Sukumar M, Thanneeru SK, Sutar RF, Sahu A, Agrawal A. Effect of Music Therapy on Quality of Life in Geriatric Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Indian J Palliat Care. 2024;30(4):296-303. doi:10.25259/IJPC_23_2024
  3. True or False: Agitation in Alzheimer disease is purely due to external stressors and has no underlying neurobiological component.
    Correct Answer: B. False
    While environmental stressors and unmet needs can precipitate agitation, Alzheimer-related brain changes and neurochemical imbalances also play a significant role.
    Reference:
    Ostergaard JR. A new perspective on agitation in Alzheimer's disease: a potential paradigm shift.IntJ Mol Sci. 2025;26(7):3370. doi:10.3390/ijms26073370

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