Depression and memory: a comparative study of young and old women.

The study compared the prevalence of depression, memory dysfunction, and the influence of depression on memory in two contrasting age-groups of women: young--the mean age of approximately 23 years (35 subjects) and old--the mean age of approximately 70 years (44 subjects). The study population samples were subdivided into depressive and nondepressive groups, according to the presence and absence of depressive symptoms, respectively, as assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Memory function was assessed with a modified Visual Letter Recall Test, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. The results show that the prevalence of depression was greater in the group of young compared with the old women; 63% vs. 41% of subjects, respectively. The intensity of depression was moderate in both age-groups. The accompanying memory dysfunction was significantly greater in the group of old than young women; 43% vs. 18% of missed letters on recall, respectively (P<0.05). The results failed to lend support for a causative link between depression and memory dysfunction. Memory deficit did not intensify with increasing depression score and also was present in the women without depression in both age-groups. In conclusion, older age in women not necessarily leads to more frequent appearance of depression, and a decline in memory function with advancing age also has to do with factors other than depression.