{"title":"Apathy and Depression Among People Aging With Traumatic Brain Injury: Relationships to Cognitive Performance and Psychosocial Functioning.","authors":"Umesh M Venkatesan, Amanda R Rabinowitz","doi":"10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20230082","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Apathy and depression are both common after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may be especially important to distinguish in older adults with TBI. The authors examined apathy and depression in relation to cognitive performance domains and their potentially unique contribution to psychosocial functioning in this patient population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 106 participants (mean±SD age=64±8 years) with chronic moderate to severe TBI (≥1 year) completed questionnaires assessing severity of apathy (Frontal Systems Behavior Scale-apathy subscale) and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale-15) symptoms, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and societal participation. Participants also completed neuropsychological tests of episodic memory, processing speed, and executive functioning.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Apathy symptom severity was significantly associated with all cognitive performances in correlations adjusted for the familywise error rate; a relationship with executive functioning remained after controlling for demographic and injury variables. Depression symptom severity was not significantly associated with cognition after statistical correction. Both symptomatologies uniquely contributed to HRQoL. Only depression symptoms contributed to societal participation. On the basis of clinical cutoffs, half the sample had neither depression nor apathy, approximately 25% met criteria for only apathy, and 25% had both apathy and depression. The combined presence of clinical depression and apathy was associated with worse HRQoL and societal participation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is the first study to examine apathy and depression in relation to cognition and psychosocial functioning in an older sample with a history of TBI. Findings suggest that the two syndromes can be dissociated in clinically meaningful ways, which may help to refine psychiatric and behavioral interventions in this vulnerable population.</p>","PeriodicalId":16559,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"306-315"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.20230082","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/5/9 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: Apathy and depression are both common after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may be especially important to distinguish in older adults with TBI. The authors examined apathy and depression in relation to cognitive performance domains and their potentially unique contribution to psychosocial functioning in this patient population.
Methods: A total of 106 participants (mean±SD age=64±8 years) with chronic moderate to severe TBI (≥1 year) completed questionnaires assessing severity of apathy (Frontal Systems Behavior Scale-apathy subscale) and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale-15) symptoms, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and societal participation. Participants also completed neuropsychological tests of episodic memory, processing speed, and executive functioning.
Results: Apathy symptom severity was significantly associated with all cognitive performances in correlations adjusted for the familywise error rate; a relationship with executive functioning remained after controlling for demographic and injury variables. Depression symptom severity was not significantly associated with cognition after statistical correction. Both symptomatologies uniquely contributed to HRQoL. Only depression symptoms contributed to societal participation. On the basis of clinical cutoffs, half the sample had neither depression nor apathy, approximately 25% met criteria for only apathy, and 25% had both apathy and depression. The combined presence of clinical depression and apathy was associated with worse HRQoL and societal participation.
Conclusions: This is the first study to examine apathy and depression in relation to cognition and psychosocial functioning in an older sample with a history of TBI. Findings suggest that the two syndromes can be dissociated in clinically meaningful ways, which may help to refine psychiatric and behavioral interventions in this vulnerable population.
期刊介绍:
As the official Journal of the American Neuropsychiatric Association, the premier North American organization of clinicians, scientists, and educators specializing in behavioral neurology & neuropsychiatry, neuropsychology, and the clinical neurosciences, the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (JNCN) aims to publish works that advance the science of brain-behavior relationships, the care of persons and families affected by neurodevelopmental, acquired neurological, and neurodegenerative conditions, and education and training in behavioral neurology & neuropsychiatry. JNCN publishes peer-reviewed articles on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral manifestations of neurological conditions, the structural and functional neuroanatomy of idiopathic psychiatric disorders, and the clinical and educational applications and public health implications of scientific advances in these areas. The Journal features systematic reviews and meta-analyses, narrative reviews, original research articles, scholarly considerations of treatment and educational challenges in behavioral neurology & neuropsychiatry, analyses and commentaries on advances and emerging trends in the field, international perspectives on neuropsychiatry, opinions and introspections, case reports that inform on the structural and functional bases of neuropsychiatric conditions, and classic pieces from the field’s rich history.