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Influence of education and depressive symptoms on cognitive function in the elderly

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2009

Renata Avila ,
Marco Antonio Aparício Moscoso ,
Salma Ribeiz ,
Jony Arrais ,
Omar Jaluul  and
Cassio M. C. Bottino
Renata Avila*
Affiliation:
Old Age Research Group (PROTER), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Marco Antonio Aparício Moscoso
Affiliation:
Old Age Research Group (PROTER), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Salma Ribeiz
Affiliation:
Old Age Research Group (PROTER), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Jony Arrais
Affiliation:
Old Age Research Group (PROTER), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Omar Jaluul
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Cassio M. C. Bottino
Affiliation:
Old Age Research Group (PROTER), Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Renata Avila, Guarara, 529-cj. 135, Jardim Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil Cep: 01425-001. Phone: +55 11 3885 8101; Fax: +55 11 3885 8101. Email: avilarenata@uol.com.br.
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Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence that education and depression have on the performance of elderly people in neuropsychological tests.

Methods: The study was conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, Hospital das Clínicas. All of the individuals evaluated were aged 60 or older. The study sample consisted of 59 outpatients with depressive disorders and 51 healthy controls. We stratified the sample by level of education: low = 1–4 years of schooling; high = 5 or more years of schooling. Evaluations consisted of psychiatric assessment, cognitive assessment, laboratory tests and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging.

Results: We found that level of education influenced all the measures of cognitive domains investigated (intellectual efficiency, processing speed, attention, executive function and memory) except the Digit Span Forward and Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (immediate and delayed recall), whereas depressive symptoms influenced some measures of memory, attention, executive function and processing speed. Although the combination of a low level of education and depression had a significant negative influence on Stroop Test part B, Trail Making Test part B and Logical Memory (immediate recall), we found no other significant effects of the interaction between level of education and depression.

Conclusion: The results of this study underscore the importance of considering the level of education in the analysis of cognitive performance in depressed elderly patients, as well as the relevance of developing new cognitive function tests in which level of education has a reduced impact on the results.

Keywords

depressionmemoryattentionexecutive functionprocessing speed
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , June 2009 , pp. 560 - 567
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2009

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