Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in dementia are prevalent, under-recognized and little studied regarding their pathophysiological aspects. The pathophysiological mechanism, as well as the possible role of vascular lesions in the genesis of these symptoms, are still matters of debate. Objective: to describe and compare the prevalence and severity of NPS in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD). Methods: a cross-sectional study involving 82 outpatients, divided into two groups (AD × VaD), was conducted. Patients were submitted to the Cambridge Cognitive Test (CAMCOG), the Clock Drawing Test (CLOX 1 and 2), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. Neuroimaging was scored using the de Leon and Fazekas scales. Results: 90.8% of the patients had at least one neuropsychiatric symptom. There were statistical differences on the CLOX test and in the apathy symptoms between AD and VaD groups. Apathy and disinhibition proved more prevalent in patients with higher vascular load. Conclusion: apathy and impaired executive function may reflect vascular damage in subcortical circuits in dementia patients.

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence in Latin America was estimated in some regions and it was found to range from 0.75 to 30/100,000. The reasons for variation in rates of prevalence around the world still are not clear, but there are environmental and genetic explanations to this phenomenon. This study aimed at estimating the MS prevalence in Volta Redonda, Brazil. Method: Three sources of cases ascertainment were used and the method of capture-recapture was applied for assessing the corrected prevalence in the city of Volta Redonda in November 2012. The capture-recapture method uses data from incomplete lists and allows calculating the number of unregistered cases. Data were analyzed using a log-linear model. Results: A total of 40 MS cases was found by withdrawing overlaps of sources and it was estimated that a total number of 40 cases (95% CI 13.5-118.8) were not detected by the sources. The corrected prevalence of MS was, then, 30.7/100,000. Conclusion: Our study was the first in Brazil to use the capture-recapture method to assess the prevalence of MS, demonstrating the highest prevalence rate so far. It is necessary to perform other similar studies and in other regions of the country using the same method for a better evaluation of the true prevalence of MS our country.