Characterization of depression in Alzheimer's disease by the CERAD Behavior Rating Scale for Dementia (BRSD).

The authors selected 69 participants from an Alzheimer's disease research registry and diagnosed them as depressed or nondepressed by use of a semi-structured clinical interview. Responses to selected BRSD items were compared between the depressed and nondepressed groups. Differences between responses of the two groups on BRSD items related to anxiety and depression were significant. The groups did not significantly differ in their responses to items related to other content areas. On the basis of their responses to the BRSD anxiety and depression items, 70% of participants were correctly classified as depressed or nondepressed.