title: Vascular burden and cognitive function in late-life depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relation of vascular risk factors, subclinical, and manifest vascular disease with four domains of cognitive functioning in a large sample of clinically depressed older persons.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional analysis was used, and depressed patients were recruited from general practices and mental healthcare institutes. Presence of a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, depressive episode was established with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Framingham Risk Score (FRS) was used as a measure for vascular risk profile, ankle-brachial index for subclinical vascular disease, and history of a cardiovascular event as a measure for manifest vascular disease. Three neurocognitive tasks evaluated processing speed, working memory, verbal memory, and interference control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 378 participants, linear regression analysis showed that FRS was related to poorer interference control (t = -2.353; df = 377; p <0.05) but to no other cognitive domain after adjustment for age, sex, education level, and depressive symptom severity. Lower ankle-brachial index and history of cardiovascular event were related to slower processing speed (t = 2.659; df = 377; p <0.05 and t = -3.328; df = 377; p <0.01, respectively) but to no other cognitive domain. In 267 participants without manifest vascular disease, higher FRS was related to slower processing speed (t = -2.425; df = 266; p <0.05) and poorer interference control (t = -2.423; df = 266; p <0.05), and lower ankle brachial index was related to slower processing speed (t = 2.171; df = 266; p <0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In depressed older persons, vascular burden is related to slower processing speed also in the absence of manifest vascular disease. Poorer interference control was only related to vascular risk factors but not to subclinical or manifest vascular disease.
authors.affiliation: University Center of Psychiatry & Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.zuidersma@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: Marij
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuidersma
authors.affiliation: University Center for Geriatric Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerbrand J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Izaks
authors.affiliation: Department of Old Age Psychiatry, GGNet Center for Mental Health, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Naarding
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Care and Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; GGZinGeest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hannie C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Comijs
authors.affiliation: University Center of Psychiatry & Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Oude Voshaar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index / Q000379:methods; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000067562:Late Onset Disorders; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Vascular risk factors; cognitive functioning; depression; vascular disease