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Anxiety in late-life depression is associated with poorer performance across multiple cognitive domains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2024

Maria Kryza-Lacombe Open the ORCID record for Maria Kryza-Lacombe [Opens in a new window] ,
Michelle T. Kassel ,
Philip S. Insel ,
Emma Rhodes ,
David Bickford ,
Emily Burns ,
Meryl A. Butters ,
Duygu Tosun ,
Paul Aisen  and
Rema Raman
...Show all authors
Maria Kryza-Lacombe*
Affiliation:
Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Michelle T. Kassel
Affiliation:
Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Philip S. Insel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Emma Rhodes
Affiliation:
Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
David Bickford
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Emily Burns
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Meryl A. Butters
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Duygu Tosun
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Paul Aisen
Affiliation:
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, San Diego, CA, USA
Rema Raman
Affiliation:
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, San Diego, CA, USA
Andrew J. Saykin
Affiliation:
Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Center for Neuroimaging, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Arthur W. Toga
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Clifford R. Jack Jr.
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Michael W. Weiner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
Craig Nelson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
R. Scott Mackin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA Department of Psychiatry Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Maria Kryza-Lacombe; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

Anxiety is a common comorbid feature of late-life depression (LLD) and is associated with poorer global cognitive functioning independent of depression severity. However, little is known about whether comorbid anxiety is associated with a domain-specific pattern of cognitive dysfunction. We therefore examined group differences (LLD with and without comorbid anxiety) in cognitive functioning performance across multiple domains.

Method:

Older adults with major depressive disorder (N = 228, ages 65–91) were evaluated for anxiety and depression severity, and cognitive functioning (learning, memory, language, processing speed, executive functioning, working memory, and visuospatial functioning). Ordinary least squares regression adjusting for age, sex, education, and concurrent depression severity examined anxiety group differences in performance on tests of cognitive functioning.

Results:

Significant group differences emerged for confrontation naming and visuospatial functioning, as well as for verbal fluency, working memory, and inhibition with lower performance for LLD with comorbid anxiety compared to LLD only, controlling for depression severity.

Conclusions:

Performance patterns identified among older adults with LLD and comorbid anxiety resemble neuropsychological profiles typically seen in neurodegenerative diseases of aging. These findings have potential implications for etiological considerations in the interpretation of neuropsychological profiles.

Keywords

Late-life depressionanxietycognitionolder adultsneuropsychological functioningneurodegeneration
Type
Brief Communication
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 30 , Issue 9 , November 2024 , pp. 807 - 811
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Neuropsychological Society

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