Impact of aging on the relationships between impairment of "Orientation" and "Recall" items of MMSE and mild to moderate mood disorders.

The association of depression and dementia is far more common than the masking of depression by dementia, i.e., pseudodementia. The impact of aging was investigated on the relationships between mood disorders, evaluated by means of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and early cognitive impairments, measured by using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in 100 aged subjects (age range 60-84 years). In our population of mildly to moderately depressed elderly people, the aging was associated with a loss of MMSE item "Orientation" and a loss of MMSE item "Recall"; this could be explained by an association of cognitive impairment and mild to moderate depressive disorders which are worsening with aging.