Neuropsychiatric and cognitive features of major depressive disorder in aging, based on the data from the US National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC)

OBJECTIVE

The diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is based on the DSM-V criteria and is established by a clinician. This allows quantifying depression based on clinical criteria. As such, MDD differs from other types of depressions that are measured by subjective scales. Here, we evaluated the MDD risk factor on other neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) as well as MDD association with cognitive performance in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Healthy Controls (HC).

METHODS

Data of 208 patients with AD, 291 patients with MCI and 647 HC were extracted from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center database. All participants included in this study were assessed by a physician for the MDD criteria, underwent an NPS evaluation using the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory, and a comprehensive cognitive assessment. Participants were classified as being with and without MDD. We performed logistic regression and MANCOVA models respectively with NPS and cognitive performance as variables of interest and MDD as fixed factors within each group. The MANCOVA was controlled for the effects of age, sex, and education.

RESULTS

MDD increased the risk for psychotic, affective and behavioral NPS in MCI, as well as affective and behavioral NPS in HC and AD. Also, MCI with MDD had lower performance on selective attention and mental flexibility.

CONCLUSIONS

MDD seems to increase the probability of a prevalence of NPS in all groups (HC, MCI and AD). Longitudinal data processing would help to understand the neuropsychiatric evolution of elderly subjects with MDD.

[Impact of the diagnostic method for borderline personality disorder on the acute response and the risk of early relapse in major depressed individuals treated with ECT: A systematic literature review]

INTRODUCTION

Given the contradictory data available in the literature, the aim of this systematic review was to investigate the impact of the diagnostic method for borderline personality disorder (BPD) on the acute response and the risk of early relapse in major depressed individuals treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

METHOD

After a systematic literature review performed during March 2023 in the PubMed-Medline database according to the PRISMA criteria, 47 articles were identified using the keyword algorithm ("Electroconvulsive Therapy" [Mesh] or electroconvulsive therapy) and ("Borderline Personality Disorder" [Mesh] or borderline personality disorder). The inclusion criteria applied for the selection of articles in this systematic review were: (1) articles investigating the impact of BPD on the acute response and/or the risk of early relapse in major depressed individuals (> 18 years old) treated with ECT, (2) diagnosis of BPD and major depressive disorder by validated screening tests and/or systematic psychiatric interviews based on diagnostic criteria of international classification, (3) any type of study (cross-sectional, longitudinal, prospective, retrospective, interventional and experimental), (4) articles written in English or French, and (5) articles published after January 2000. After assessment of the 47 articles based on these inclusion criteria by two authors, seven studies investigating the impact of BPD diagnosed by systematic psychiatric interview or screening tests on the acute response and the risk of early relapse in major depressed individuals treated with ECT were included in this systematic review.

RESULTS

Unlike the three studies diagnosing BPD by screening tests, the four studies diagnosing BPD by systematic psychiatric interview demonstrated a negative impact of this personality disorder on the acute response or the risk of early relapse in major depressed individuals treated with ECT. However, all studies included in this systematic review presented a low level of scientific evidence (cross-sectional epidemiological studies and retrospective cohort studies).

CONCLUSION

Despite the need for studies of better scientific quality, the results of this systematic review seem to indicate that screening for BPD by systematic psychiatric interview during the pre-ECT assessment and the establishment of adequate therapeutic strategies in case of comorbid BPD could be promising options to allow better acute response and better prevention of early relapses in major depressed individuals treated with ECT.

[Belief updating and mood congruence in depressive disorder]

Depressive disorder is characterized by a polymorphic symptomatology associating emotional, cognitive and behavioral disturbances. One of the most specific symptoms is negative beliefs, called congruent to mood. Despite the importance of these beliefs in the development, the maintenance, and the recurrence of depressive episodes, little is known about the processes underlying the generation of depressive beliefs. In this paper, we detail the link between belief updating mechanisms and the genesis of depressive beliefs. We show how depression alters information processing, generating cognitive immunization when processing positive information, affective updating bias related to the valence of belief and prediction error, and difficultie to disengage from negative information. We suggest that disruption of belief-updating mechanisms forms the basis of belief-mood congruence in depression.

Targeting all psychopathological dimensions in the treatment of anorexia nervosa

Efforts to improve the prognosis of subjects with anorexia nervosa [AN] through the development of specific therapeutic interventions have yielded unsatisfactory results. AN can be perceived as a mental disorder that is clinically composed of disturbed psychopathological dimensions found in major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and delusional disorder somatic type. Future treatment strategies of patients with AN might target these multiple psychopathological dimensions. Considering that each of these dimensions is known to be best treated with psychopharmacologic drugs such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers and antipsychotic drugs, AN treatment guidelines may need to consider prescribing them to patients.

[Is the orientation of patients suffering from depressive disorder to the psychiatric emergencies by a general practitioner associated with the decision to hospitalize?]

INTRODUCTION

Depressive disorders affect nearly 350 million people worldwide and are the world's leading cause of incapacity. Patients who are depressed preferentially approach their general practitioner (GP), who is their first point of contact, in 50-60% of cases. The aim of our study is to assess whether the orientation of patients suffering from anxiety-depressive disorder towards a GP in a general emergency is a factor associated with hospitalization when compared to patients who present themselves spontaneously for the same disorders. Our secondary objective was to identify the different profiles of patients who were hospitalized for these disorders as an emergency.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study for the year 2015, targeting patients who presented as general emergencies at the centre hospitalier de Troyes and who had received a psychiatric diagnosis in the context of an anxiety or depressive disorder.

RESULTS

Five hundred and twenty four patients were included. A univariate analysis showed that referral by the attending physician was associated with hospitalization in 57.9% vs. 42.1% cases (P=0.007), at an odds ratio at 1.98 [1.22-3.21] by multivariate analysis. Analysis by ascending hierarchical classification made it possible to identify 3 profiles for hospitalized patients: 1) patients with a known psychiatric history, a history of past or current follow-ups directed by a psychiatrist, with at least one psychotropic treatment, the presence of psychotic symptoms and a low suicidal risk compared to the rest of the study population; 2) patients without a psychiatric history, or a history of past or ongoing psychiatric follow-up and the absence of ongoing psychotropic treatment. These patients were referred by a GP (67% vs 23%, P<0.001) and their suicidal risk was higher (59% vs 26%, P<0.001); 3) patients about whom the psychiatrist had little information at the time of the emergency consultation.

CONCLUSIONS

The relevance of GPs in orientation towards emergencies pleads in favor of a partnership and an early exchange between treating physicians and the psychiatrists.

[Affective disorders: endocrine and metabolic comorbidities]

Links between affective and endocrine-metabolic disorders are numerous and complex. In this review, we explore most frequent endocrine-metabolic comorbidities. On the one hand, these comorbidities imply numerous iatrogenic effects from antipsychotics (metabolic side-effects) or from lithium (endocrine side-effects). On the other hand, these comorbidities are also associated with affective disorders independently from medication. We will successively examine metabolic syndrome, glycemic disturbances, obesity and thyroid disorders among patients with affective disorders. Endocrinemetabolic comorbidities can be individually encountered, but can also be associated. Therefore, they substantially impact morbidity and mortality by increasing cardiovascular risk factors. Two distinct approaches give an account of processes involved in these comorbidities: common environmental factors (iatrogenic effects, lifestyle), and/or shared physiological vulnerabilities. In conclusion, we provide a synthesis of important results and recommendations related to endocrine-metabolic comorbidities in affective disorders : heavy influence on morbidity and mortality, undertreatment of somatic diseases, importance of endocrine and metabolic side effects from main mood stabilizers, impact from sex and age on the prevalence of comorbidities, influence from previous depressive episodes in bipolar disorders, and relevance of systematic screening for subclinical (biological) disturbances.