The association between depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly persons

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether depressive symptoms predict specific types of cognitive decline in order to elucidate the association between late life depression and cognitive decline. BACKGROUND: Mechanisms underlying the association between late life depression and cognitive decline are still unclear. METHOD: Six hundred and forty-one elderly persons of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) aged 70-85 were examined by means of two measurement occasions over a period of 3 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed by means of the CES-D. Various cognitive functions were examined using neuropsychological tests. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were associated with decline in speed of information processing over a 3-year period, whereas there was no association between depression and increasing memory impairment or global mental deterioration. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that depressive symptoms are associated with subcortical pathology, most probable white matter lesions.