Ascending digits task as a measure of executive function in geriatric depression.

The authors hypothesized that older depressed patients would perform more poorly on the Ascending Digits Task (ADT) when matched against a nondepressed elderly comparison group. In a novel measure, the ADT, 129 older depressives scored more poorly than 129 comparison subjects in bivariate analyses and models controlling for demographic variables. The ADT may be a good measure of executive function in older adults.