Cognitive functions and magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with late onset major depression

Abstract

Background As many as three-quarters of patients with major depressive disorder presenting to old age psychiatrists have late-onset depression. Late-onset depression was conceptualized as a neurologic disease and more often associated with cognitive impairment than early-onset depression. Objectives To compare cognitive functions between early-onset ( Design A cross-sectional, comparative study with a consecutive sample. Subjects Eighty elderly patients with depression were recruited from the Geriatric Outpatient Clinic-Psychiatry and Addiction Hospital in Al Kasr Al-Ainy, Cairo University. They were divided according to the age of onset of depression into 2 groups: Late onset group (A) and Early onset group (B) depression, they were subjected to the following: SCID-I, HDRS (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), BCRS (Brief Cognitive Rating Scale), GDS (Global deterioration Scale), ACE-R (Addenbrook's Cognitive Examination-Revised), Trail B Test, Digit symbol coding and Digit span subtest of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, MRI-Brain to assess white matter hyperintensities by using modified Fazekas rating. Results Group A had worse performance than group B in trail B test, total memory score, verbal fluency test, total language score, visuospatial abilities, the total (ACE-R) and ischemic changes periventricular and in deep white matter were more in group A than in group B.