Post-stroke depression: Main phenomenological clusters and their relationships with clinical measures.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the principal psychopathological dimensions of post-stroke depression (PSD) through the assessment of the factorial structure of the Post-Stroke Depression Rating Scale (PSDRS).


METHODS
We enrolled ninety-eight subjects with PSD, who underwent the PSDRS, MMSE and Barthel Index. Information about demographic, clinical, and neuroanatomical factors was collected.


RESULTS
The factor analysis extracted three factors accounting for 63.4% of the total variance, and identified as: 1) "Depressive and Anxious Symptoms" (DAS); 2) "Lack of Emotional Control" (LEC); 3) "Reduced Motivation" (RM). On multivariate statistics, DAS severity was predicted by previous history of mood disorders and Barthel Index; LEC severity was predicted by Barthel Index; RM severity was predicted by age.


CONCLUSIONS
The PSDRS displayed a reliable factor structure that agreed with previous interpretation of PSD. In particular, core depressive symptoms seem to be related to premorbid personality and functional status, whereas apathy/anhedonia may be connected to brain aging.
Research Center for Neuropsychology, Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University, Rome, Italy. davide.quaranta@edu.rm.unicatt.it
Davide
D
Quaranta
Camillo
C
Marra
Guido
G
Gainotti
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D059445:Anhedonia; D057565:Apathy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004522:Educational Status; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*