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Cognitive differences among depressed and non‐depressed MCI participants: a project FRONTIER study
Author(s) -
Johnson Leigh A,
Mauer Cortney,
Jahn Danielle,
Song Michael,
Wyshywaniuk Lauren,
Hall James R.,
Balldin Valerie Hobson,
O'Bryant Sid E.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.3835
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , psychology , cognition , neuropsychology , clinical psychology , geriatric depression scale , psychiatry , cognitive skill , depressive symptoms , economics , macroeconomics
Objective Depression is the most commonly reported psychiatric symptom in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, more research is needed examining the impact of depression on cognitive functioning in MCI patients. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in cognitive functioning in a sample of community‐ based, depressed, and non‐depressed MCI patients. Methods One hundred and five participants with MCI were included in this study. Participants were recruited from Project FRONTIER, a study of rural health. Depression was assessed via the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS‐30), and cognition was measured using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. Results The results indicated that depressed MCI participants performed significantly worse than their non‐depressed counterparts on several cognitive measures. MCI participants with depression scored significantly lower on immediate memory ( t = 3.4, p < 0.01) and delayed memory ( t = 2.8, p < 0.01) indices than their non‐depressed counterparts. Conclusions The results of this study indicated that MCI participants with depression experienced greater deficits in cognitive functioning than their non‐depressed counterparts. Depressed MCI participants exhibited greater deficits in both immediate and delayed memory. Thus, identifying and treating depression in individuals with MCI may improve memory and cognitive functioning. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.