RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a modified version of the Duke Somatic Algorithm Treatment for Geriatric Depression (STAGED) in a Brazilian sample of older patients with major depression. Besides, we aimed to investigate possible baseline predictive factors for remission in this sample. METHODS: Sixty-seven depressed individuals were treated according to STAGED over 24 weeks in a prospective cohort design with follow-up. All patients had criteria for major depression and were at least 60 years of age at baseline enrollment. RESULTS: During this follow-up, 56 patients could be classified in remitted or not remitted group, 42.85% reached remission, and 57.14% did not reach remission. These results are even better than those found in the original study, probably due to the lower baseline depression severity of our sample. When baseline characteristics were compared between remitted and not remitted groups, scores of Mini Mental State Examination and Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG) were the only variables with statistical significant difference (p < 0.05) between groups. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to try to predict remission and statistical significance (p < 0.05) was found only for baseline MMSE scores. It may mean that patients with mixed cognitive disorders and mood disorders have a worse course of depression. CONCLUSIONS: This version of STAGED seems to be a useful strategy for treatment of depression in late life. Baseline general cognitive performance might be useful to predict remission of depression in older patients with mild to moderate depression. Further research with different population characteristics should be conducted in order to evaluate its usefulness and feasibility in different settings.
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Algoritmos , Trastorno Depresivo Mayor/terapia , Terapias Somáticas Psiquiátricas , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Análisis de Varianza , Brasil , Femenino , Humanos , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Estudios ProspectivosRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Neuroimaging has been widely used in studies to investigate depression in the elderly because it is a noninvasive technique, and it allows the detection of structural and functional brain alterations. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) are neuroimaging indexes of the microstructural integrity of white matter, which are measured using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The aim of this study was to investigate differences in FA or MD in the entire brain without a previously determined region of interest (ROI) between depressed and non-depressed elderly patients. METHOD: Brain magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 47 depressed elderly patients, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, and 36 healthy elderly patients as controls. Voxelwise statistical analysis of FA data was performed using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). RESULTS: After controlling for age, no significant differences among FA and MD parameters were observed in the depressed elderly patients. No significant correlations were found between cognitive performance and FA or MD parameters. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences among FA or MD values between mildly or moderately depressed and non-depressed elderly patients when the brain was analyzed without a previously determined ROI.
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Trastorno Depresivo Mayor/patología , Imagen de Difusión Tensora/métodos , Anciano , Envejecimiento , Encéfalo/patología , Encéfalo/fisiopatología , Trastorno Depresivo Mayor/fisiopatología , Imagen de Difusión Tensora/instrumentación , Femenino , Evaluación Geriátrica , Humanos , Masculino , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica , Índice de Severidad de la EnfermedadRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To compare the volume of the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus in elderly individuals with and without depressive disorders, and to determine whether the volumes of these regions correlate with scores on memory tests. METHOD: Clinical and demographic differences, as well as differences in regional gray matter volumes, were assessed in 48 elderly patients with depressive disorders and 31 control subjects. Brain (structural MRI) scans were processed using statistical parametric mapping and voxel-based morphometry. Cognitive tests were administered to subjects in both groups. RESULTS: There were no between-group gray matter volume differences in the hippocampus or parahippocampal gyrus. In the elderly depressed group only, the volume of the left parahippocampal gyrus correlated with scores on the delayed naming portion of the visual-verbal learning test. There were also significant direct correlations in depressed subjects between the volumes of the left hippocampus, right and left parahippocampal gyrus and immediate recall scores on verbal episodic memory tests and visual learning tests. In the control group, there were direct correlations only between overall cognitive performance (as assessed with the MMSE) and the volume of right hippocampus, and between the total score on the visual-verbal learning test and the volume of the right and left parahippocampal gyrus. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight different patterns of relationship between cognitive performance and volumes of medial temporal structures in depressed individuals and healthy elderly subjects. The direct correlation between delayed visual-verbal memory recall scores with left parahippocampal volumes specifically in elderly depressed individuals provides support to the view that depression in elderly populations may be a risk factor for dementia.