Memory, depression, and progressing old age in women.

In this study we investigated the interrelationships among memory function, depression, and progressing age in the elderly women. We hypothesized that memory deficit would increase with progressing old age and would be further enhanced in the presence of depression. The study was conducted on 44 female volunteers of the mean age of 67.8 +/-1.1(SE) years (range 55-83). The population sample was dichotomized into the depressed and non-depressed subgroups. All subjects were closely homogenous with respect to the post-menopausal status and general life factors. The methodology was based on a group survey in which The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale questionnaire and a visual letter recall test were used for the assessment of depression and memory, respectively. The results failed to support the hypothesis. In the first place we found that the mean memory deficit was similar in both depressed and non-depressed subjects, amounting to about 40% of missed letters on recall. Memory deficit progressed with age only in the subgroup of depressed women, but rather surprisingly, it was not associated with the level of depression that actually declined with age in this subgroup. We conclude that progressing old age alone is not necessarily entwined with the intensification of either depression or memory decline. Depression is a factor in memory decline through brain mechanisms unrelated to the intensity of depressive symptoms.