title: Psychomotor retardation in elderly untreated depressed patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psychomotor retardation (PR) is one of the core features in depression according to DSM V (1), but also aging in itself causes cognitive and psychomotor slowing. This is the first study investigating PR in relation to cognitive functioning and to the concomitant effect of depression and aging in a geriatric population ruling out contending effects of psychotropic medication.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of 28 non-demented depressed elderly is compared to a matched control group of 20 healthy elderly. All participants underwent a test battery containing clinical depression measures, cognitive measures of processing speed, executive function and memory, clinical ratings of PR, and objective computerized fine motor skill-tests. Statistical analysis consisted of a General Linear Method multivariate analysis of variance to compare the clinical, cognitive, and psychomotor outcomes of the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients performed worse on all clinical, cognitive, and PR measures. Both groups showed an effect of cognitive load on fine motor function but the influence was significantly larger for patients than for healthy elderly except for the initiation time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to the restrictive inclusion criteria, only a relatively limited sample size could be obtained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With a medication free sample, an additive effect of depression and aging on cognition and PR in geriatric patients was found. As this effect was independent of demand of effort (by varying the cognitive load), it was apparently not a motivational slowing effect of depression.
authors: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Antwerp University , Antwerp , Belgium.
authors: Lieve Lia
authors: LL
authors: Beheydt
authors: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Antwerp University , Antwerp , Belgium.
authors: Didier
authors: D
authors: Schrijvers
authors: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Antwerp University , Antwerp , Belgium.
authors: Lise
authors: L
authors: Docx
authors: University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven , Kortenberg , Belgium.
authors: Filip
authors: F
authors: Bouckaert
authors: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Antwerp University , Antwerp , Belgium.
authors: Wouter
authors: W
authors: Hulstijn
authors: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Antwerp University , Antwerp , Belgium.
authors: Bernard
authors: B
authors: Sabbe
keywords: cognition; copying tasks; elderly; major depression; medication free; neuropsychological assessment; psychomotor retardation