Neuropsychological indicators of preclinical Alzheimer's disease among depressed older adults.
Journal Article
Older adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) may also have preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). Differential diagnosis is quite challenging due to the overlapping symptoms of MDD and AD. In the current study, we predicted that impaired long-term memory (an area most affected in early AD), but not executive function (an area affected in MDD and AD), would distinguish older depressed patients who developed AD from those who did not. Patients (N = 120) assessed as having MDD but not dementia at baseline were administered tests of cognitive function and followed longitudinally for subsequent diagnosis of AD. Using structural equation modeling we found a latent construct of long-term memory to be associated with AD to a greater extent than executive functioning. Additional analyses to enhance clinical utility of findings indicated that individual tests of episodic memory were most predictive of AD status. Tests of long-term memory can be utilized by the clinician when assessing for preclinical AD among depressed elderly.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Rushing, NC; Sachs-Ericsson, N; Steffens, DC
Published Date
- January 2014
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 21 / 1
Start / End Page
- 99 - 128
PubMed ID
- 23659628
Pubmed Central ID
- 23659628
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1744-4128
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 1382-5585
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1080/13825585.2013.795514
Language
- eng