Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jul;43(4):286-293.
doi: 10.1177/0253717620981556. Epub 2021 Jan 21.

Geriatric Depression and Cognitive Impairment-An Update

Shiva Shanker Reddy Mukku  1 , Ajit Bhalchandra Dahale  2 , Nagalakshmi Rajavoor Muniswamy  2 , Krishna Prasad Muliyala  2 , Palanimuthu Thangaraju Sivakumar  1 , Mathew Varghese  1
Affiliations
Review

Geriatric Depression and Cognitive Impairment-An Update

Shiva Shanker Reddy Mukku et al. Indian J Psychol Med. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Depression and cognitive impairment often coexist in older adults. The relation between depression and cognitive impairment is complex. The objective of this article is to review recent literature on cognitive impairment in older adults with depression and provide clinicians an update.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Psych Info for the articles published in the English language related to late-life depression (LLD)/geriatric depression and cognitive impairment. We considered original research articles, relevant systematic reviews, chapters, and important conceptual articles published in the last 9 years (2011-2019). We selected relevant articles for this narrative review.

Conclusion: The concept pseudodementia, indicating depression with cognitive impairment mimicking dementia, is now seen only as a historical concept. The current literature strongly agrees with fact that cognitive deficits often exist in LLD. The cognitive deficits in depression were initially seen as trait marker; however, some recent studies suggest that cognitive deficits persist even in the remission phase. There is heterogeneity among the studies in terms of the nature of the cognitive deficits, but higher number of studies reported impairment in attention and executive function. LLD with cognitive deficits is at a higher risk of progression to dementia. In older adults, depression with cognitive impairments requires a comprehensive evaluation. Electroencephalography, event-related potentials, fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography, amyloid positron emission tomography, and CSF amyloid will supplement clinical evaluation in differentiating functional depressive disorder with cognitive impairment from depression with an underlying degenerative condition.

Keywords: Older adults; cognitive impairment; depression; evidence; management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Hashem AH, M N, Gomaa MA, and Khalaf OO. Late versus early onset depression in elderly patients: Vascular risk and cognitive impairment. Curr Aging Sci 2017; 10(3): 211–216. - PubMed
    1. Almeida OP, Hankey GJ, Yeap BB, Golledge J, and Flicker L. Depression as a modifiable factor to decrease the risk of dementia. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7(5): e1117. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [Internet]. American Psychiatric Association, 2013 [cited 2018. March 30], http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
    1. World Health Organisation. International Classification of Diseases (ICD). World Health Organization, 1992.
    1. Kang H, Zhao F, You L, et al.. Pseudo-dementia: A neuropsychological review. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2014; 17(2): 147–154. - PMC - PubMed