Perspectives and the Incidence, Complications, and Pathophysiology of Psychosis in Dementias and in Parkinson's

Jeff Shaw, PsyD, ABPP
Senior Medical Science Liaison
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.

This presentation will review how common episodes of psychosis are with various neurodegenerative conditions and discuss factors that exacerbate psychosis, some of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved and the course of psychosis over the lifespan.

The objectives of this presentation are for the healthcare professional to:

• Understand the prevalence and clinical features of hallucinations and delusions across the dementias and in Parkinson's disease;
• Gain insights into the potential burden and consequences of neuropsychiatric symptoms—including hallucinations and delusions—for people with dementia, their caregivers, and society;
• Enhance knowledge of the proposed neurobiology of hallucinations and delusions across the dementias; and,
• Recognize the unmet medical needs for people experiencing hallucinations and delusions associated with dementia-related psychosis.

Dr. Jeff Shaw is a Board Certified Neuropsychologist who has worked as Medical Science Liaison at Teva Pharmaceuticals (August 2017 - March 2018) and Alkermes Biopharmaceutical (April 2018 - March 2020), before taking his current position as Senior Medical Science Liaison at Acadia Pharmaceuticals in March 2020. Prior to his work in the pharmaceutical industry, he served as Department Head, Clinician, and Neuroscience Researcher at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, WA, from 2001 - 2017. He earned his PsyD from the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in the San Francisco Bay Area, and completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, where he also served as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Shaw was an Adjunct Professor at the Seattle Pacific University Psychology Doctoral Program from 2004 - 2010. He was awarded the ABPP in Neuropsychology in 2011.