Apathy and depression are the most frequent neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a cross-sectional observational study of 734 subjects with probable mild AD, we evaluated the prevalence of apathy and depression. After the use of specific diagnostic criteria, we tested the interaction between the two syndromes and their relation with specific comorbidities, and different functional outcomes. Depression was diagnosed using the diagnostic criteria for depression in AD, and apathy with the diagnostic criteria for apathy in neuropsychiatric disorders. According to the specific diagnostic criteria, depression had a 47.9% prevalence, while apathy prevalence was 41.6%. Apathy and depression were associated in 32.4% of patients (n = 225). 9.4% (n = 65) had only apathy, 15.4% (n = 107) had only depression, and 42.9% had no apathy and no depression (n = 298). The three most frequent depressive symptoms were fatigue or loss of energy (59.4%), decreased positive affect or pleasure in response to social contacts and activities (46.2%), and psychomotor agitation or retardation (36.9%). Concerning apathy, loss of goal-directed cognition was the most frequently altered (63.6%), followed by loss of goal-directed action (60.6%) and loss of goal-directed emotion (43.8%). Patients with both apathy and depression more frequently required a resource allowance for dependency. Neurological comorbidities were more frequent in the "apathy and depression" and "depression alone" groups (p < 0.001). Apathy and depression overlap considerably, and this might be explained by the presence of some non-specific symptoms in both diagnostic criteria. The need for social support is higher when a patient fulfills the two diagnostic criteria.

Approximately three-quarters of PIMs or PIAs were prescribed knowingly, of which 69% were monitored, with wide variations in occurrence and in quality according to drug classes. This underlines the need for accurate guidelines on PIP monitoring.

Antipsychotic and antiparkinsonian drug prescriptions in French aged psychotic patients follow only partially the clinical guidelines and recommendations of consensus conferences. Moreover, cognitive, cardiac and metabolic aspects are not fully managed as expected.

The epithelial rudiment of 4 day-old quail embryo adenohypophysis, cultivated in vitro under conditions allowing glandular differentiation, displays peripheral cells that progressively acquire follicular cell features. They elongate, develop numerous microvilli, junctional complexes, interlocking membranes and bundles of microfilaments. These follicular-like cells derive from peripheral epithelial cells that, in situ, become glandular. These results show that follicular cells can develop from undifferentiated cells. They undergo this pathway of development, in all likelihood, as a result of perturbations in their microenvironment.

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