title: The association between depression, anxiety, and cognitive function in the elderly general population--the Hordaland Health Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between depression and/or anxiety and cognitive function in the elderly general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-demented participants from the general population (n = 1,930) aged 72-74 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Symptoms and caseness of depression and anxiety disorder were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Cognitive function was assessed by the Digit Symbol Test (modified version), the Kendrick Object Learning Test, and the 'S'-task from the Controlled Oral Word Association Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant association between depression and reduced cognitive function. The inverse association between anxiety and reduced cognitive performance was explained by adjustment for co-morbid depression. The inverse association between depressive symptoms and cognitive function was found to be close to linear, and was also present in the sub-clinical symptom range. Males were more affected cognitively by depressive symptoms than females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inverse association between depression and cognitive function is not only a finding restricted to severely ill patient samples, but it can also be found in the elderly general population.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway. eva.biringer@psyk.uib.no
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biringer
authors.forename: Arnstein
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mykletun
authors.forename: Alv A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dahl
authors.forename: A David
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Engedal
authors.forename: Harald A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Nygaard
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lund
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution