In a discovery that may help decode the minds of dementia patients, Korean researchers have identified a specific delusion — the belief that a person's own home is not truly theirs — as a central symptom in the complex network of delusions often seen in dementia.
Published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the study was led by professor Kwak Yong-tae of Hyoja Geriatric Hospital and professor Yang Young-soon of Soonchunhyang University Hospital. The research team analyzed 102 dementia patients, mapping out the ways different delusional symptoms connect and influence one another.
The team found that the reduplicative paramnesia, where a patient insists they are in a replica of a familiar location, such as a home or hospital, and refuses to believe they are actually home — acts as a central hub in the network of dementia-related delusions. This type of misbelief plays a key role in linking various other delusions that patients experience.
The study also noted that the most frequently found delusion is the belief that someone had stolen their belongings. This “theft delusion” was found in nearly 90 percent of participants and served as a bridge symptom, connecting otherwise unrelated delusional experiences.
The findings suggest that by focusing on these key delusions, the hub and the bridge, it may be possible to better manage the full range of dementia-related symptoms, instead of just treating individual symptoms on their own.
“Delusions in dementia are not just random byproducts of brain deterioration,” professor Kwak said in a statement. “They have structure. They interact. And if we can understand that structure, we can treat patients more precisely.”
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