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Verbal Learning and Memory in Older Adults with Minor and Major Depression

Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Late-life minor depression (miD) is a prevalent but poorly understood illness. Verbal learning and memory profiles have commonly been used to characterize neuropsychiatric disorders. This study compared the performance of 27 older adults with miD on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) with 26 age-matched individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and 36 non-depressed controls. Results revealed that the miD group performed comparably with controls and significantly better than the MDD group on several CVLT indices. Moreover, cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups, consistent with theoretical representations of "normal," "subcortical," and "cortical" verbal learning and memory profiles. The majority of the miD group showed "normal" profiles (74%), whereas most individuals with MDD displayed "subcortical" profiles (54%). The findings suggest that depression in the elderly is a heterogeneous entity and that the CVLT may be a useful tool for characterizing learning and memory in late-onset depressive disorders.
DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acr106
Authors: R. I. Mesholam-Gately, A. J. Giuliano, E. A. Zillmer, L. P. Barakat, A. Kumar, R. C. Gur, L. M. McAndrew, W. B. Bilker, V. Elderkin-Thompson, P. J. Moberg
Institutions: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Illinois Chicago, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, VA New Jersey Health Care System, University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2073218865
FWCI: 2.403
Cites: 65
Cited by: 29
Related to: 10