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Executive dysfunction and the course of geriatric depression
Alexopoulos GS, Kiosses DN, Heo M, Murphy CF, Shanmugham B, Gunning-Dixon F.. Biological psychiatry, 2005-08-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Executive dysfunction is common in geriatric depression and persists after improvement of depressive symptoms. This study examined the relationship of executive impairment to the course of depressive symptoms among elderly patients with major depression. Methods A total of 112 nondemented elderly patients with major depression participated in an 8-week citalopram trial at a target daily dose of 40 mg. Executive functions were assessed with the initiation/perseveration subscale of the Dementia Rating Scale and the Stroop Color-Word test. Medical burden was rated with the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. Results Both abnormal initiation/perseveration and abnormal Stroop Color-Word scores were associated with an unfavorable response of geriatric depression to citalopram. In particular, initiation/perseveration scores below the median ( Conclusions Executive dysfunction increases the risk for poor response of geriatric depression to citalopram. Because executive functions require frontostriatal-limbic integrity, this observation provides the rationale for investigation of the role of specific frontostriatal-limbic pathways in perpetuating geriatric depression. Depressed elderly patients with executive dysfunction require vigilant clinical attention because they might be at risk to fail treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressant.
Key findings
- Results Both abnormal initiation/perseveration and abnormal Stroop Color-Word scores were associated with an unfavorable response of geriatric depression to citalopram.
Why it matters
In this 8-week citalopram trial, abnormal initiation/perseveration and abnormal Stroop Color-Word scores were associated with unfavorable response of geriatric depression to citalopram. It concerns treatment response in geriatric depression, not the treatment, cure, or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants112
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
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 (Biological psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Biological Psychiatry: journal h-index 428 (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 | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2005 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 112 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 318 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.8 citations a year over 23 year(s) since 2005 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 22 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Faith M. Gunning‐Dixon: h-index 34 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Cornell University: institution h-index 1,649 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16018984) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Alexopoulos, G. S., Kiosses, D. N., Heo, M., Murphy, C. F., Shanmugham, B., & Gunning-Dixon, F. (2005). Executive dysfunction and the course of geriatric depression. Biological psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.024
Vancouver
Alexopoulos GS, Kiosses DN, Heo M, Murphy CF, Shanmugham B, Gunning-Dixon F. Executive dysfunction and the course of geriatric depression. Biological psychiatry. 2005. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.024. PMID: 16018984.
BibTeX
@article{alexopoulos2005-16018984,
author = {Alexopoulos, G. S. and Kiosses, D. N. and Heo, M. and Murphy, C. F. and Shanmugham, B. and Gunning-Dixon, F.},
title = {{Executive dysfunction and the course of geriatric depression}},
journal = {Biological psychiatry},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.024},
pmid = {16018984},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.024}
}
Studies this one cites
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