Neuro-psychological assessment of cognitive disorders in Severe Depression and Minimal Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract: 

Introduction: This descriptive cross-sectional study is part of a larger investigation. Two pathologies that are frequently found in older adults are Minimal Cognitive Impairment and Depressive Disorder. A neuropsychological examination was carried out comparing the scores obtained in cognitive performance in 80 older adults 35 subjects with expected scores in normal aging, 25 with mild cognitive impairment (pathological disorder between normal aging and dementia) and 20 with severe depressive disorders . It was carried out from the theoretical framework of behavioral neuroscience. Objective: to compare possible alterations in memory, attention, executive functions and social cognition in subjects matched in age and education. The work methodology consisted of the analysis of medical records, interviews and global assessments of higher brain functions with the use of the Mini Mental Folstein test and the Hamilton Test for depression. In addition, specific neuropsychological tests were used. Results The scores obtained in the Folstein test by normal subjects exceeded 27 points (no impairment) Subjects with mild cognitive impairment 10-24 points (mild to moderate dementia); and in depressed patients it was between 25 and 26 (doubtful or mild dementia) and with a score of 18-29 (moderate-severe depression) in the Hamilton depression test. Descriptive statistics were used, the means and standard deviations of each group and in each variable evaluated. The Chi-square test and Fisher's test were used. To establish the differences in neuropsychological tests between two groups, the Tukey-Alpha test was used

Conclusions In cases with a normal aging process, a slight slowdown in cognitive processing was observed with a decrease in short-term memory. Long-term memory was recovered with keys. In subjects with MCI, there was a significant loss of long-term memory (storage and coding) and alterations in executive functions In depressed subjects (severe to moderate) the alterations were in attention, working memory and executive functions. The last two pathologies would indicate important alterations in information processing and the possible progress towards permanent deterioration.