Impact of depression on insight into memory capacity in patients with Alzheimer disease.
BACKGROUND
The influence of depressive symptoms on awareness of memory disturbances in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and metamemory is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
We compared the level of awareness of memory disturbances in AD patients with and without depression using 2 measures: a questionnaire comparing discrepancies in patients/caregivers' assessments and the patients' predictions of their own performances on a memory task.


METHODS
AD patients with depression (n=21) or without depression (n=21) were asked to complete an assessment of self-reported memory dysfunction (Short Memory Questionnaire; SMQ) and memory task performance prediction (10-words-recall Questionnaire). In addition, the caregivers' evaluations of the memory deficits in the study patients were assessed using the SMQ.


RESULTS
We observed a greater discrepancy in the SMQ scores given by the caregivers' and the patients' among AD patients without depression, compared with those with depression. A greater discrepancy was also observed in the ratio score (patient's predicted performance/actual performance) for the 10-words-recall Questionnaire in AD patients without depression than in those with depression.


CONCLUSIONS
AD patients with depression may estimate their memory ability either more accurately or more negatively than AD patients without depression, as shown using the above 2 methods.
Nakaaki
Shutaro
S
Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan. hzi05510@nifty.com
Murata
Yoshie
Y
Sato
Junko
J
Shinagawa
Yoshihiro
Y
Hongo
Jin
J
Tatsumi
Hiroshi
H
Hirono
Nobutsugu
N
Mimura
Masaru
M
Furukawa
Toshiaki A
TA
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires