Chapter 1 26 ‘possible’ and ‘probable’ are most often used to quantify the amount of and/or core criteria met with respect to the classification guidelines with ‘unlikely’ and ‘definite’ (e.g., evidence of AD via autopsy or biopsy) on either side. These additions also represent well the specificity or uncertainty that these classifications still obtain. Psychiatric symptoms in dementia, often expressed as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), are not only important in invalidating symptoms and lowering the quality of life, but they can also have a diagnostic and predictive role (Defrancesco et al., 2020). ‘Affective syndromes characterized by depressive symptoms are associated with faster functional decline whereas Manic syndromes are better at predicting cognitive decline’ (Palmer et al., 2011). However, as up to 50% and 80% of the patients with MCI and dementia, respectively, exhibited (relevant) (neuro)psychiatric symptoms from the month of onset of the cognitive symptoms or the month prior to the diagnosis, these symptoms can not only have a predictive role but also mimic psychiatric diseases and frustrate the diagnostic process (Lyketsos et al., 2002; Eikelboom et al., 2021). ‘Cognitive domains’: Cognitive impairment may occur in different forms or functions. These functions can be categorised into different domains. Again, how or where the functions are categorised can differ, depending on the literature. Most often, we distinguish attention, planning, inhibition, learning, memory, language, visual perception, spatial skills, social skills, and other cognitive functions. In short, we follow the below (DSM-5) descriptions of the domains: complex attention, executive functions (attention, planning, inhibition), language, learning and memory, perceptual motor function (visual perception, spatial skills), and social cognition.
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