Is antidepressant treatment associated with reduced cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease?
BACKGROUND
Although antidepressant drugs (ATD) are frequently prescribed to patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), their effect on cognitive status has been only rarely assessed.


METHODS
The impact of depressive symptoms and ATD on cognitive status was retrospectively assessed in 72 older AD outpatients with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment, treated with cholinesterase inhibitors, over a 9-month follow-up.


RESULTS
Compared to subjects without baseline depressive symptoms, those with symptoms who were continuously treated with ATD had less cognitive decline; those never treated, or not continuously treated despite baseline symptoms, had an intermediate trend. Such a protective action of ATD was, at least in part, independent of their action on depressive symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
These observations suggest that ATD may reduce cognitive decline in depressed older AD patients.
Mossello
Enrico
E
Department of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Florence and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy. enrico.mossello@unifi.it
Boncinelli
Marta
M
Caleri
Veronica
V
Cavallini
Maria Chiara
MC
Palermo
Eliana
E
Di Bari
Mauro
M
Tilli
Sabrina
S
Sarcone
Eva
E
Simoni
David
D
Biagini
Carlo Adriano
CA
Masotti
Giulio
G
Marchionni
Niccolò
N
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000928:Antidepressive Agents