Association between subclinical epileptiform discharge and the behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's dementia

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and subclinical epileptiform discharge (SED) increase with the progression of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the associations between SED and BPSD. Apathy was the most commonly reported subsyndrome in our cohort, followed by nighttime behavior and irritability. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of BPSD between patients with and without SED. However, the NPI score for irritability subsyndromes was significantly higher in the SED (+) group. SED may not be a direct cause of BPSD, but its presence may affect the manifestation of BPSD.