Depression does not aggravate the episodic memory deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease.

In a population-based study of persons between 75 and 96 years of age, normal old adults (n?=?296), patients with Alzheimer"s disease (AD; n?=?45), and patients with concomitant AD and depression (AD-D; n?=?9) were compared on free recall and recognition of slowly and rapidly presented words and digit span. With the exception of forward digit span, the normal old group outperformed the 2 AD groups across all tasks. In free recall, only the normal old group performed better as task pacing decreased; however, all groups benefited from more study time in recognition. This suggests that both AD and AD-D patients have deficits in the ability to use more study time for remembering. Of most importance, the 2 AD groups were indistinguishable for all task variables. This lack of comorbidity effects is discussed relative to the view that depression, much like many other individual-difference variables that affect memory performance in normal aging, may be overshadowed by the influence of the process in AD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Slow-wave activity in the spectral analysis of the electroencephalogram and volumes of hippocampus in subgroups of Alzheimer's disease patients.

This study examined patients who fulfilled the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association Work Group criteria for probable Alzheimer's disease (AD; n?=?35) and controls for magnetic resonance imaging and psychometric data (n?=?16) and for quantitative electroencephalogram data (n?=?34). A cluster analysis performed on neuropsychological variables identified 2 AD subgroups: The AD1 group (n?=?12) had impaired memory and executive functions but preserved verbal and visuospatial functions. The AD2 group (n?=?23) had global impairment. The AD2 group had higher theta amplitude in the temporo-occipital, centroparietal, and frontal derivation and lower peak and mean frequency than the AD1 group or controls. Both AD groups had more severe memory deficits and clearly smaller hippocampal volumes than controls. This may implicate that the degree of damage in ascending activating systems differs in these subgroups, although the damage in the hippocampus is equal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of repetition on memory performance in cognitively impaired patients.

Patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n?=?37), alcohol amnestic disorder (AMD; n?=?9), major depression (n?=?16), as well as elderly normal volunteers (n?=?48), are differentially sensitive to the effects of repetition on memory. Three learning and memory procedures were used to demonstrate that repeated words were more likely to be recalled by elderly normal volunteers than by AD patients. This insensitivity to repetition effects in AD is attributed to an impairment in generating information from semantic memory, which forms the basis of the cognitive context that is used to rehearse and encode to-be-remembered words. In contrast, depressed patients were particularly sensitive to the effects of repetition on recall. AMD patients also recalled more words that were repeated than words that were presented only once, but this effect was attenuated compared with the response expressed in normal volunteers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mathematics achievement: Effects of language of instruction and teachers' use of new curriculum materials.

Examined the mathematics achievement of English-speaking randomly selected Grade-3 pupils enrolled in 8 English (n?=?223) or 4 French immersion (n?=?92) programs in a large Ontario school board. Language of instruction and the extent to which teachers reported use of a locally developed mathematics curriculum document were the independent variables. General ability and mathematics pretest scores were used as multiple covariates, and mathematics posttest scores (arithmetic, geometry, graphing, and measurement) were the dependent variables. French and English versions of a locally developed and validated objectives-based mathematics test were administered in October 1981, and equivalent forms plus a nonverbal aptitude test were administered in May 1982. The teachers completed a teacher survey. There were no significant differences between the mathematics posttest scores of English and French immersion groups, although the latter had higher pretest scores and higher general aptitude scores. Overall, pupils whose teachers reported greater use of the curriculum document obtained higher posttest scores than pupils whose teachers reported lower use of the document. There was a relationship between pupil achievement and reported use of the document within the English program and a statistically significant interaction between language of instruction and reported use of the curriculum document. (French abstract) (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Common genetic risk factors for conduct disorder and alcohol dependence.

The association between retrospectively reported childhood conduct disorder (CD) and a history of alcohol dependence (AD) was examined in a sample of 2,682 male, female, and unlike-sex adult twin pairs. There was a strong association between CD and AD in both men (tetrachoric r?=?.34, odds ratio?=?2.8) and women (tetrachoric r?=?.53, odds ratio?=?9.9). Genetic factors accounted for most of the association between CD and AD liability in men and women, with the remainder of the association being due to nonshared individual-specific environmental factors. Genetic influences common to CD and AD accounted for 17% and 35% of the genetic variation in AD liability in men and women, respectively, and accounted for 11% and 23% of the total variation in AD liability in men and women, respectively. The results suggest that there are common genetic risk factors for CD and AD or that CD itself is an important genetically influenced risk factor for AD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of Alzheimer's-type dementia and information source on the assessment of depression.

Assessment of depression in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is complicated by uncertainty regarding the accuracy of information supplied by the patient and collateral informants. Agreement between these two sources in completing the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD; M. Hamilton, 1960) was compared in patients with AD (n?=?185) and two groups of nondemented outpatients: patients with Parkinson's disease (n?=?57) and geriatric referrals (n?=?54). The correlation between HRSD scores generated from structured interviews with patients and collateral sources was attenuated in AD (r?=?.29) in comparison with Parkinson's disease (r?=?.92) and geriatric outpatients (r?=?.85). Differences in scores between interview methods in AD reflected a generally low rate of symptom endorsement by patients. These findings highlight the potential insensitivity of patient report in AD and support the use of collateral informants as an alternative source of clinical information in persons with significant cognitive impairment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological function and apolipoprotein E genotype in the preclinical detection of Alzheimer's disease.

Nondemented older adults genotyped for the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 allele (n?=?43) were neuropsychologically compared to participants without a copy of the ε4 allele (n?=?90). At baseline, the groups did not differ on age, education, gender, or global cognitive status. ApoE-ε4 participants demonstrated significantly poorer mean performances on delayed recall, but no significant group differences emerged on attention, language, constructional skills, psychomotor speed, or executive function. Significantly more ApoE-ε4 participants developed probable or questionable Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared with non-ε4 participants, suggesting that the group differences resulted from a preponderance of preclinical AD cases within the ε4 group and not from a direct influence of ApoE genotype on cognition. Cox proportional hazards analysis, adjusting for age, years of education, and global cognitive status, revealed that ApoE-ε4 allele status and measures of recall performance were significant and independent predictors of conversion to AD. Results support the importance of specific episodic memory changes and possession of the ApoE-ε4 allele in the preclinical detection of AD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Object naming and semantic knowledge in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Object-naming impairment is common among temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients, but other aspects of semantic memory have received limited attention in this population. This study examined object-naming ability and depth of semantic knowledge in healthy controls (n?=?29) and patients with early onset TLE (n?=?21). After administration of the Boston Naming Test (BNT), the authors asked participants to provide detailed definitions of 6 BNT objects. The TLE group demonstrated a significant deficit relative to controls in both object-naming ability and semantic knowledge for the target objects, even after controlling for IQ. In a multiple regression analysis that included other neuropsychological test scores as independent variables, the semantic knowledge score was the only significant predictor of patients' object-naming performance. Thus, at the group level, early onset TLE patients have a semantic knowledge deficit that contributes to dysnomia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two forms of minority-group test bias as psychometric artifacts with an animal model (Rattus norvegicus).

Controversy abounds over attributing group differences on tests to nature, nurture, or test bias. Limitations of correlational sampling from natural populations necessitate experimental methods to resolve underlying issues. In classicial psychometrics test items are selected from a larger item pool through analysis of item responses in a sample of subjects. Rats of six inbred strains (n?=?366) were tested in multiple mazes to provide a large item pool. Six populations were created, each with differing proportions of each strain. Items selected through independent item analyses within each population yielded six tests. An independent cross-validation sample (n?=?146) provided scores on all six items. This sample was also tested in another set of maze problems defined as the criterion to be predicted. Strain means and intrastrain predictive validities for the six tests varied with strain representation in the population used for item selection (p?     

The magical number .7?±?.2: Meta-meta-analysis of the probability of superior outcome in comparisons involving therapy, placebo, and control.

The "probability of superiority estimate" (PS) estimates the probability that a randomly sampled client from a population given a treatment will have an outcome that is superior to that of a randomly sampled client from a population given another treatment. The meta-analytic clinical outcome literature was examined to calculate mean PS (PS) for comparisons involving therapy versus control, the raw versus placebo, therapy versus therapy, and placebo versus control. The range of PS was found to be approximately .7?±?.2, with median PS greatest when therapy and control are compared ( Mdn PSTC?=?.70, where T?=?therapy and C?=?control) and least when 2 therapies are compared ( Mdn PSTT?=?.56). Results suggested that there is more to therapeutic success than placebo effects ( Mdn PSTP?=?.66, where T?=?therapy and P?=?placebo) and that placebo is typically better than do-nothing control conditions ( Mdn PSPC?=?.62). The present exceptionally large study, controlling for dependencies and confounding variables, may put to rest the question of the superiority of therapy to placebo. It also appears that the strength of effect of therapy is typically at least average among the effects of independent variables in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI-2 variables in attention and memory test performance.

Attention span (Digit Span), verbal list learning, and memory test performance (Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised; WMS-R) were examined in relation to Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) measures of depression, anxiety, and psychotic thinking in male patients with closed-head injury (n?=?48) and with psychiatric disorder (n?=?80). In both samples, MMPI-2 scores were significantly related to Attention Span but independent of List Learning performance. MMPI-2 scores correlated with factor scores derived from the Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction subtests of the WMS-R. The results of a hierarchical regression analysis, which examined the relative effects of neurologic and emotional status, support the view that MMPI-2 scores are relevant to the interpretation of performance on neuropsychological tests of attention and memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Odor identification in normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease: Effects of retrieval support.

Odor sensitivity and identification were examined in normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aims were to investigate AD as associated with lower odor sensitivity, odor identification as a function of retrieval support, and the relationship between global cognitive functioning (Mini-Mental State Exam [MMSE]; M. R Folstein, S. E. Folstein, & P. R. McHugh, 1975) and olfactory performance. Results indicated intact odor sensitivity but deficient odor identification in AD. Both groups benefited from cues in identification, and the size of the gains was equally large in AD patients and controls. The finding of no selective benefit from retrieval support in AD suggests that a degradation of olfactory knowledge contributes to the odor identification deficits in these patients. MMSE and identification were positively related, whereas MMSE and olfactory sensitivity were unrelated. These findings suggest that the AD-related olfactory impairment stems from lesions in cortical rather than peripheral structures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of mental health measures for older adults.

This article examines the factor structure of mental health self-reports among 246 older adults, ages 60 to 80 years, who were either recently physically disabled (n?=?62), recently bereaved (n?=?61), or matched control subjects (n?=?123). Confirmatory factor analyses were carried out on the Mental Health Inventory and the Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview (PERI) Demoralization Composite to test whether factor structures obtained in previous studies would fit the data for this older adult sample and whether those structures would be equivalent among groups that differ in degree of life stress. The structure of these two inventories was reorganized as a result of these analyses, resulting in 9 subscales that varied somewhat from the original subscale structure. The Bradburn Positive Affect Scale was added, and a second order confirmatory factor analysis was performed on these 10 scales. Two highly correlated superordinate factors emerged: Psychological Distress and Psychological Well-Being. Although the factor structure was generally similar across groups, there were some notable exceptions that could be attributed to between-groups differences in exposure to life stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent structure and factorial invariance of a neuropsychological test battery for the study of preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: To examine the latent structure of a test battery currently being used in a longitudinal study of asymptomatic middle-aged adults with a parental history of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and test the invariance of the factor solution across subgroups defined by selected demographic variables and known genetic risk factors for AD. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a sequence of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted on 24 neuropsychological measures selected to provide a comprehensive estimate of cognitive abilities most likely to be affected in preclinical AD. Once the underlying latent model was defined and the structural validity established through model comparisons, a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis model was used to test for factorial invariance across groups. Results: The EFA solution revealed a factor structure consisting of five constructs: verbal ability, visuospatial ability, speed & executive function, working memory, and verbal learning & memory. The CFA models provided support for the hypothesized 5-factor structure. Results indicated factorial invariance of the model across all groups examined. Conclusions: Collectively, the results suggested a relatively strong psychometric basis for using the factor structure in clinical samples that match the characteristics of this cohort. This confirmed an invariant factor structure should prove useful in research aimed to detect the earliest cognitive signature of preclinical AD in similar middle aged cohorts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inhibition and habituation: Preserved mechanisms of attentional selection in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Are inhibition and habituation, processes that contribute to selective attention, impaired by aging or Alzheimer's disease (AD)? Younger adults, older adults, and adults with AD read lists of letters presented either alone or paired with distractor letters. Slower reading times for lists containing distractors relative to lists without distractors indexed concurrent interference (distraction). Slower rending times for lists in which distractors subsequently became targets relative to lists in which distractors and targets were unrelated indexed negative priming (inhibition). Faster reading times when distractors were constant in identity or location rather than random indexed repeated distractor effects (habituation). Distraction increased with aging and AD, whereas inhibition and habituation showed no age- or AD-related decline, suggesting that inhibition and habituation still function to aid attentional selection in older adults and adults with AD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alerting and orienting in Alzheimer's disease: Are they interdependent? Reply to Festa et al. (2006).

The area of contention between E. Festa-Martino, B. R. Ott, and W. C. Heindel (2004; see record 2004-12990-007) and A. Tales and colleagues (A. Tales, J. L. Muir, A. Bayer, R. Jones, & R. J. Snowden, 2002; A. Tales, J. L. Muir, A. Bayer, & R. J. Snowden, 2002; see record 2002-06031-015) is whether the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related increased spatial orienting effect is attributable directly to the decreased phasic alerting effect or whether they are two separate effects. In a subsequent study, A. Tales, R. J. Snowden, M. Brown, and G. Wilcock (2006; see record 2006-20657-014) have provided evidence to suggest that the increased spatial orienting effect in AD is not necessarily the result of a decreased phasic alerting effect, as an AD-related increase in spatial orienting effect occurred under conditions in which the phasic alerting effect was the same for both groups. In a commentary to this article, E. K. Festa, B. R. Ott, and W. C. Heindel (2006; see record 2006-20657-015) discuss what they suggest may be potential confounding factors within the authors' study. In this reply, further data in support of the authors' interpretation are provided, and the authors address the points highlighted by Festa et al. (2006). In addition, the authors request that if Festa et al. (2006) are to account for the changes in spatial orienting effects in AD in terms of the shifts in the phasic alerting effects, then how do they postulate how so small a change in one can produce so large a change in the other? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive symptomatology in new mothers: A stress and coping perspective.

The aim of the present research was to test the utility of a stress-coping model of postpartum depression. Data were collected during the last trimester of pregnancy (n?=?197) and twice after the birth (4 weeks, n?=?180, and approximately 5 months, n?=?163). Coping resources and depressive symptomatology were assessed at Time 1, stress and coping were assessed at Time 2, and depressive symptomatology and partner ratings of coping effectiveness were assessed at Times 2 and 3. After control of the effects of initial depression, there was evidence of significant effects of levels of stress and coping responses on the Time 2 and Time 3 outcome measures. There was also some evidence linking coping resources (particularly self-esteem and family support) to postpartum depressive symptomatology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent psychopathology: II. Psychosocial risk factors for depression.

In a prospective study of adolescent depression, adolescents (N?=?1,508) were assessed at Time 1 and after 1 yr (Time 2) on psychosocial variables hypothesized to be associated with depression. Most psychosocial variables were associated with current (n?=?45) depression. Formerly depressed adolescents (n?=?217) continued to differ from never depressed controls on many of the psychosocial variables. Many of the depression-related measures also acted as risk factors for future depression (n?=?112), especially past depression, current other mental disorders, past suicide attempt, internalizing behavior problems, and physical symptoms. Young women were more likely to be, to become, and to have been depressed. Controlling for the psychosocial variables eliminated the gender difference for current and future but not for past depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The differentiation of semantic dementia and frontal lobe dementia (temporal and frontal variants of frontotemporal dementia) from early Alzheimer's disease: A comparative neuropsychological study.

The authors compared age-matched groups of patients with the frontal and temporal lobe variants of frontotemporal dementia (FTD; dementia of frontal type [DFT] and semantic dementia), early Alzheimer's disease (AD), and normal controls (n?=?9 per group) on a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. A distinct profile emerged for each group: Those with AD showed a severe deficit in episodic memory with more subtle, but significant, impairments in semantic memory and visuospatial skills; patients with semantic dementia showed the previously documented picture of isolated, but profound, semantic memory breakdown with anomia and surface dyslexia but were indistinguishable from the AD group on a test of story recall; and the DFT group were the least impaired and showed mild deficits in episodic memory and verbal fluency but normal semantic memory. The frontal and temporal presentations of FTD are clearly separable from each other and from early AD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neurocognitive dysfunction in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and alcoholism.

The authors administered the Halstead–Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery to schizophrenic groups with (n?=?54) and without (n?=?217) coexisting alcoholism, nonschizophrenic groups with alcoholism (n?=?231), and a patient comparison group (n?=?145) to determine the extent of additive cognitive impairment in schizophrenia associated with alcoholism and to compare cognitive function in alcoholism and schizophrenia. The additive effects of alcoholism on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia were subtle but were consistently identifiable. Cognitive dysfunction in alcoholism was less severe than in schizophrenia with or without alcoholism. The magnitude of additive effects of alcoholism on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia was age related with a significant interaction between age and presence or absence of alcoholism on a global index of cognitive dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)