Background: Postmortem studies of the subiculum from subjects with schizophrenia have detected smaller pyramidal cell bodies and diminished immunoreactivity for the dendritic protein, microtubule-associated protein 2. While these findings suggest that subicular pyramidal cell dendrites may be structurally altered in subjects with schizophrenia, this possibility had not been tested directly.

Background Given the complexity of providing dementia care in hospitals, integrating technology into practice is a high challenge and an important opportunity. Although there are a growing demand and interest in using social robots in a variety of care settings to support dementia care, little is known about the impacts of the robotics and their application in care settings, i.e., what worked, in which situations, and how. Methods Scientific databases and Google Scholar were searched to identify publications published since 2000. The inclusion criteria consisted of older people with dementia, care setting, and social robot PARO. Results A total of 29 papers were included in the review. Content analysis identified 3 key benefits of and 3 barriers to the use of PARO. Main benefits include: reducing negative emotion and behavioral symptoms, improving social engagement, and promoting positive mood and quality of care experience. Key barriers are: cost and workload, infection concerns, and stigma and ethical issues. This review reveals 3 research gaps: (a) the users’ needs and experiences remain unexplored, (b) few studies investigate the process of how to use the robot effectively to meet clinical needs, and (c) theory should be used to guide implementation. Conclusions Most interventions conducted have been primarily researcher-focused. Future research should pay more attention to the clinical needs of the patient population and develop strategies to overcome barriers to the adoption of PARO in order to maximize patient benefits. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12877-019-1244-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Research about patients with dementia in the context of acute care has been traditionally designed and carried out by researchers with little or no involvement of people with dementia. Moving away from the traditional way of conducting research on people with dementia, this study involved people with dementia as experts of lived experiences to co-develop knowledge for change. The paper presents our shared experiences (a person with dementia and a researcher) gained from an action research, titled Co-creating Person-Centred Care in Acute Care. We highlight our successes and possibilities for making real impacts on hospital care for patients with dementia by using an appreciative inquiry approach. The project was informed by the core principles of appreciative inquiry. The research involved seven patients with dementia together with a team of 50 interdisciplinary staff to inquire and take actions for improving dementia care in a medical unit. This article draws attention to a range of ethical responsibilities and challenges, which go beyond the traditional principles in University Research Ethics. The strengths and challenges of conducting action research with people living with dementia are discussed. We conclude by offering our learnings and practical tips to encourage more collaboration between researchers and people with dementia in undertaking action research to make social change.

The use of touchscreen tablets, such as the iPad, offers potential to support the person with dementia staying in a care setting, ranging from a long-term care home to an adult day programme. Although electronic devices are used among people with dementia, a comprehensive review of studies focusing on their impact and how they may be used effectively in care settings is lacking. We conducted a scoping review to summarize existing knowledge about the impact of touchscreen tablets in supporting social connections and reducing responsive behaviours of people with dementia in care settings. Our research team consists of patient partners and family partners, physicians, nurses, a medical student and an academic professor. A total of 17 articles were included in the review. Our analysis identified three ways in which touchscreen tablets support dementia care: (1) increased the person’s engagement, (2) decreased responsive behaviours and (3) positive effect on enjoyment/quality of life for people with dementia. Lessons learned and barriers to the use of touchscreen tablets in the care of people with dementia are described. Overall, only a few studies delineated strategies that helped to overcome barriers to technology adoption in care settings. Knowledge translation studies are needed to identify effective processes and practical tips to overcome barriers and realize the potential of assistive technology in dementia care.

New technology, such as social robots, opens up new opportunities in hospital settings. PARO, a robotic pet seal, was designed to provide emotional and social support for older people with dementia. We applied video-ethnographic methods, including conversational interviews and observations with video recording among 10 patient participants while they were using the robot. We also conducted semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with nursing staff to gain contextual information. Patient and family partners were actively involved in the study as coresearchers. This study reports our findings on the perceptions of 10 patients with dementia about their experiences with PARO in a hospital setting. Thematic analysis yielded three substantive themes: (a) 'it's like a buddy'-the robot helps people with dementia uphold a sense of self in the world, (b) 'it's a conversation piece'-the baby seal facilitates social connection and (c) 'it makes me happy'-PARO transforms and humanizes the clinical setting. Our findings help provide a better understanding of the perspectives of patients with dementia on the use of social robots.