[Visuospatial learning in dementia and depression].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was an analysis of the efficacy, the progress and the structure of disturbances of the visuospatial learning process in patients with dementia, depression and ageing. 96 people were examined altogether. Each of the tested groups was of the same size--32 patients with dementia, depression and ageing.


METHODS
The following tools were applied: Global Deterioration Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Depression Scale, Diagnostics of Cerebral Injuries (Weidlich, Lamberti), MMSE--subscales: Information, Vocabulary, Comprehension of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale.


RESULTS
Their retrieval process was most disturbed in patients with dementia. Tendency to forget turned out to be the greatest in patients with dementia. In the course of the learning process in patients with dementia, the recency effect dominated. In patients with ageing and depression one did not observe relative superiorities of the primary effect or of the recency effect. Patients with depression and ageing did not differ in the general number of errors and the number of each kind of errors. Confabulations, perseverations, reversals in the recoil trials and confabulations in the delayed recognition trial turned out to be characteristic for patients with dementia.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with dementia and patients with depression were characterized by different efficacy, progress and structure of disturbances of the learning process. In all the examined groups there were characteristic interdependencies between efficacy, progress and structure of disturbances of the learning process.
Z Instytutu Psychologii Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego.
Wioletta
W
Radziwiłłowicz
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013028:Space Perception; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception