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Depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in late life: a prospective epidemiological study
Ganguli M, Du Y, Dodge HH, Ratcliff GG, Chang CC.. Archives of general psychiatry, 2006-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Context Depression is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. It is less clear whether depression contributes to further cognitive decline over time, independently of incipient dementia. Objective To examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and subsequent cognitive decline in a cohort of nondemented older adults, some of whom remained dementia free during follow-up and others in whom incident dementia eventually developed. Design Twelve-year prospective epidemiological study, including biennial measurement of cognition and depressive symptoms, biennial assessment of dementia, and comparison of cognitive function at baseline and over time in persons with and without baseline depressive symptoms in the dementia-free and eventual-dementia groups, using random-effects models. Setting A largely blue-collar rural community. Participants Population-based sample of 1265 adults 67 years and older without dementia at baseline. Main outcome measures Scores over time on each of several cognitive test composites. Results Among 1094 participants who remained dementia free, those with baseline depressive symptoms had significantly lower baseline scores on all cognitive composites than the nondepressed participants. Among the 171 individuals in whom dementia later developed, depression was associated with worse performance in some but not all baseline cognitive composites. Cognitive decline over time was minimal in the dementia-free group, whereas marked decline was seen in the eventual-dementia group. Depressive symptoms were not associated with rate of cognitive decline over time in either group. Conclusions Depressive symptoms are cross-sectionally associated with cognitive impairment but not subsequent cognitive decline. Substantial cognitive decline over time cannot be explained by depression and most likely reflects incipient dementia.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ganguli, M., Du, Y., Dodge, H. H., Ratcliff, G. G., & Chang, C. C. (2006). Depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in late life: a prospective epidemiological study. Archives of general psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.63.2.153
Vancouver
Ganguli M, Du Y, Dodge HH, Ratcliff GG, Chang CC. Depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in late life: a prospective epidemiological study. Archives of general psychiatry. 2006. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.63.2.153. PMID: 16461857.
BibTeX
@article{ganguli2006-16461857,
author = {Ganguli, M. and Du, Y. and Dodge, H. H. and Ratcliff, G. G. and Chang, C. C.},
title = {{Depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in late life: a prospective epidemiological study}},
journal = {Archives of general psychiatry},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1001/archpsyc.63.2.153},
pmid = {16461857},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.63.2.153}
}
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Key findings
- Context Depression is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia.
- Results Among 1094 participants who remained dementia free, those with baseline depressive symptoms had significantly lower baseline scores on all cognitive composites than the nondepressed participants.
- Among the 171 individuals in whom dementia later developed, depression was associated with worse performance in some but not all baseline cognitive composites.
- Depressive symptoms were not associated with rate of cognitive decline over time in either group.
- Conclusions Depressive symptoms are cross-sectionally associated with cognitive impairment but not subsequent cognitive decline.
Why it matters
Among older adults who remained dementia free, those with baseline depressive symptoms had lower cognitive scores at baseline, but depressive symptoms were not associated with the rate of cognitive decline. This suggests depression relates to cognitive level rather than to faster decline, and it tested no treatment or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants1,265
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 54/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of general psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Archives of General Psychiatry: journal h-index 543 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2006 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,265 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 315 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.3 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 15.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 13 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 15 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Chung-Chou H. Chang: h-index 39 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Pittsburgh: institution h-index 1,470 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16461857) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
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