title: Patient predictors of response to treatment of depression in Alzheimer's disease: the DIADS study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate patient predictors of response to treatment of Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-four outpatients with AD and MDE were randomized to receive either sertraline or placebo in a 12-week placebo-controlled, flexible-dose clinical trial after a one week single-blind placebo phase. All participants were evaluated for depression at entry using the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD). All subjects completed baseline neuropsychological testing. Caregiver burden and depression were also measured. The forty-two subjects who completed at least one post-enrollment follow-up visit were included in the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No baseline demographic, mood, neuropsychiatric, neuropsychological, or caregiver variable was a statistically significant predictor of response to treatment. There were trends for African-American patients (p=0.07) and those with milder baseline agitation/aggression (p=0.08) to respond better.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No baseline characteristic assessed clearly predicts response to treatment of MDE in AD. A diverse population of depressed AD patients may thus respond similarly to the same treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. martins@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.forename: Quincy
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Samus
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: V Rabins
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Constantine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lyketsos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017028:Caregivers; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D020280:Sertraline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D020280:Sertraline