Dement Neurocogn Disord.  2016 Jun;15(2):37-42. 10.12779/dnd.2016.15.2.37.

The Neuropsychological Characteristics in Early Stage of Alzheimer's Patients with Depression

• Yang Y
• Kwak YT

• KMID: 2442853
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12779/dnd.2016.15.2.37

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Although depression is a common psychiatric symptom in Alzheimer's disease (AD), there has not been a lot of research on neuropsychological characteristics of this symptom. To determine the characteristic neuropsychological deficit in patients with depression compared to patients without depression, this study compared each neuropsychological test between AD patients with depression and without depression.
METHODS
Psychotropic-naïve (drug-naïve) early stage [Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR)=0.5 or CDR=1] probable AD patients with depression (n=77) and without depression (n=179) were assessed with the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery, which includes measures of memory, intelligence, and executive functioning.
RESULTS
AD patients with depression had lower scores on the digit forward, digit backward, calculation, and Color Word Stroop Test tests compared to AD patients without depression.
CONCLUSION
Our study showed that AD patients with depression have disproportionate cognitive deficit, suggesting frontal (especially in the left dorsolateral), left hemisphere and left parietal dysfunction. Considering the neuropsychological differences between AD patients with depression and without depression, depression may have specific anatomic substrates.

Keyword

Alzheimer's disease; depression; neuropsychological characteristics

MeSH Terms

Alzheimer Disease
Cognition Disorders
Dementia
Depression*
Humans
Intelligence
Mass Screening
Memory
Neuropsychological Tests
Rabeprazole
Seoul
Stroop Test

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