title: The role of depression severity in the cognitive functioning of elderly subjects with central nervous system disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the hypothesis that there is a causal relation between depression and cognitive dysfunction in patients with central nervous system (CNS) disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of a clinical database.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary geriatric day hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five patients with depression and CNS disease, and 201 patients with depression but without CNS disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (Ham-D) and the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A logistic regression analysis using MDRS status as the dependent variable, and a number of clinical variables as the predictor variables, showed that, in patients with CNS disease, only the Ham-D score predicted MDRS status (R = -0.19, p = 0.02). Ham-D score even more strongly predicted scores on a frontal system subtest of the MDRS (R = -0.262, p = 0.005). Ham-D score did not predict MDRS status in patients without CNS disease. Mean Mini Mental State Examination scores for the group with CNS disease were 25.1 at admission and 26.1 at discharge (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that depression contributes to frontal cognitive dysfunction in patients with CNS disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ont.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Reekum
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simard
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Conn
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index