Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25484589›Full record

ArticleNeuropsychiatric disease and treatment2014

Bereavement and behavioral changes as risk factors for cognitive decline in adults with Down syndrome.

Luciana Mascarenhas Fonseca, Melaine Cristina de Oliveira, Laura Maria de Figueiredo Ferreira Guilhoto, Esper Abrao Cavalheiro, Cássio Mc Bottino

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Adaptive and Maladaptive Behaviours and Their Cognitive Correlates in Aging Adults With Down Syndrome.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID · 2026
    Article
  2. Factors Associated With Alzheimer's Dementia Diagnosis and Survival in Down Syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Luciana Mascarenhas FonsecaOld Age Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Melaine Cristina de OliveiraInstitute of Mathematics and Statistics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Laura Maria de Figueiredo Ferreira GuilhotoAssociation of Parents and Friends of People with Intellectual Disability of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil ; Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Esper Abrao CavalheiroAssociation of Parents and Friends of People with Intellectual Disability of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil ; Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Cássio Mc BottinoOld Age Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Universidade de São Paulo · BR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease often affect older adults with Down syndrome (DS) much earlier than those in the general population. There is also growing evidence of the effects of negative life events on the mental health and behavior of individuals with intellectual disability. However, to our knowledge, this is the first study investigating objective cognitive decline following bereavement in aging individuals with DS.

objectiveThe objective of this study was to determine whether cognitive decline correlates with bereavement following the recent loss of a caregiver or with behavioral changes in a sample of adult individuals with DS who do not meet the criteria for dementia or depression, using the longitudinal assessment of the Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG), together with the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE).

methodsWe evaluated 18 subjects at baseline and over a follow-up period of 14-22 months, attempting to determine whether cognitive decline correlates with bereavement following the recent loss of the main caregiver or with behavioral changes (as assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory).

resultsThe mean rate of change in CAMCOG was -1.83 (standard deviation 4.51). Behavioral changes had a significant direct influence on cognitive decline. When bereavement was accompanied by behavioral changes, the probability of cognitive decline was 87% (odds ratio 3.82).

conclusionThe occurrence of behavioral changes attributed to bereavement following the loss of the primary caregiver significantly increases the probability of cognitive decline in individuals with DS. Longitudinal comparison of the CAMCOG and use of the IQCODE appear to enrich the analysis of cognitive decline in individuals with DS. Further studies involving larger samples are needed in order to corroborate and expand upon our findings, which can have implications for the clinical management of older adults with DS.

Indexed as

behavioral changesbereavementCambridge Cognitive Examinationcognitive declineDown syndromeInformant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly

Identifiers

PMID25484589
PMCPMC4240187
OpenAlexW2063026964

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.