In the UK there are 850,000 people living with dementia, and approximately 90% of people with dementia are affected by neuropsychiatric symptoms at some stage. This term generally refers to things like agitation, hallucinations, delusions, and depression that occur as a result of neurodegenerative disease.

Megan O'Hare interviews three researchers who work in and around the field of psychiatry and dementia. Talking specifically about apathy, depression and treatments for the various symptoms. We also delve into the impact of the severe side effects that drug treatments can cause and how safer drugs can be developed.

Dr Byron Creese, Senior Research Fellow at University of Exeter covers the range of symptoms and how transcriptomics may hold the key to developing good drugs. Miguel Vasconcelos Da Silva and Isabel Foote discuss their nursing backgrounds and the overlaps and differences between depression and apathy and how a clinical definition for apathy is needed.

You can find out more about our panellists, and their work on our website www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. A transcript of this podcast is also available here https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/podcast-neuropsychiatric-symptoms-in-dementia

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This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society, who we thank for their ongoing support.