Follow-up study of depression in the elderly

<jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>Imaging studies in depression of the elderly are often small and highly selective.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aims</jats:title><jats:p>To investigate a large group of elderly depressed patients in order to assess changes in clinical, imaging and neuropsychological variables at follow-up.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method</jats:title><jats:p>Patients (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic>=175, age range 65–91 years) with clinical depression were identified from consecutive local referrals. Clinical interviews, neuropsychological tests and SPECT scans were carried out at referral and at two-year follow-up.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Of 84 re-examined patients, 46.5% were well, 9.5% were ill, 33% partially recovered and 11% had developed dementia. Duration of illness before index assessment was the only factor to predict outcome. Thirty-nine patients could be scanned <jats:italic>and</jats:italic> followed up. There were no differences between patients with good or poor depressive outcome on SPECT. Ten clinically improved patients could be re-examined with SPECT. There were relative increases in right cingulate gyrus and right cerebellum at follow-up.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>The patient group was comparable with other studies showing high levels of residual depressive symptoms. Activity changes in limbic cortex are implicated in depression of old age.</jats:p></jats:sec>