**Behavior and Emotion in Dementia**

Teresa Mayordomo Rodríguez, Alicia Sales Galán, Rita Redondo Flores, Marta Torres Jordán and Javier Bendicho Montes

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/64681

#### **Abstract**

During the course of disease, the patient and caregiver face emotional and behavioral problems that may occur. Therefore, it is important to knowing how emotions and the perception of them are modified and thus to know the impact they have on mood and behavior of the patient and caregiver. Publicizing the type of pathology, both emotion‐ al and behavioral levels, in a patient with dementia can help in the development of nonpharmacological interventions that could slow the symptoms and improve the quality of life of patients.

**Keywords:** reminiscence, autobiographical memory, behavior disorders, nonpharma‐ cological therapies, dementia

#### **1. Introduction**

Given the impact of aging in today's society and the possible development of dementia throughout this stage of the life cycle; it is interesting to deal with this type of pathology. So far, studies have mainly focused on more cognitive and biological aspects, because its main symptom is a neurobiological origin. While in this disease, also changes in emotional and psychosocial part occur, which affects both the well-being of the largest and in its impor‐ tant work in dementia caregiver. This chapter describes the most effective methods, from the current literature by searching the database principals (scopus, science direct, psychology articles, etc.)., that could provide positive effects in emotions and psychological and behavioral symptoms. The keywords used for the search were aging, dementia, emotions,

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autobiographical memory, reminiscence, psychological and behavioral disorders, nonphar‐ macological interventions, etc. From these we selected those belonging to current and highimpact journals.
