Neurocognitive functioning, community functioning, or demographic variables were not different at baseline between the two patient groups. However, compared to healthy controls, neurocognitive function was significantly poorer in patients. Significant decreases in Stroop word T score and increases in CERAD total score were evident at follow-up. After controlling for age and sex, the researchers found no associations between neuropsychological end points and baseline medical comorbidity, depression severity or change in severity, and diagnosis, or global functioning at the one-year mark.
On measures of processing speed, executive functioning, and verbal fluency, patients performed between 1 and 1.5 standard deviations below published norms at both time points, and processing speed significantly worsened during the follow-up period. The researchers also did not find significant associations between neuropsychological outcomes and global functioning; however, changes in GAF scores of 5 to 6 points associated with some cognitive measures may be clinically relevant.
“As neurocognitive deficits are not tightly linked to medical or affective symptoms and may not be readily assessed using common clinical measures, changes in cognitive symptoms that may have functional relevance may go undetected in elderly patients,” the researchers noted. “Some degree of cognitive decline is expected in aging adults, so inclusion of a control sample will aid in interpreting findings.” NR
—Rebecca K. Abma