Persistent pro-inflammatory trait in elderly patients following treatment-resistant major depressive disorder: a longitudinal exploratory study.

Objectives: Considering that the remission rate for major depressive disorder (MDD) in elderly patients is below 50%, there is a compelling requirement for an enhanced comprehension of the underlying mechanisms. Chronic low-grade inflammation has been posited as one potential contributor to treatment-resistant MDD in the elderly. Accordingly, the objective of our study was to explore the longitudinal trends of systemic immune markers in elderly inpatients referred to electroconvulsive therapy due to an episode of treatment resistant unipolar MDD.

The associations of psychological symptoms and cognitive patterns with pain and pain sensitization in people with hand osteoarthritis.

Objective: To examine whether psychological symptoms and cognitive patterns are associated with self-reported pain and pain sensitization in people with hand osteoarthritis (OA).

Design: In the Nor-Hand study (n ​= ​300), people with hand OA self-reported psychological symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), cognitive patterns (Pain catastrophizing Scale and Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale) as well as their pain severity in hands, overall pain and multi-joint pain. Central pain sensitization was measured clinically by temporal summation and pressure pain threshold tests.

Quality of clinical management of cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with severe mental illness in a specialist mental health care setting.

Purpose: Cardiometabolic disease in patients with severe mental illness is a major cause of shortened life expectancy. There is sparse evidence of real-world clinical risk prevention practice. We investigated levels of assessments of cardiometabolic risk factors and risk management interventions in patients with severe mental illness in the Norwegian mental health service according to an acknowledged international standard.

Exploration of 27 plasma immune markers: a cross-sectional comparison of 64 old psychiatric inpatients having unipolar major depression and 18 non-depressed old persons.

Background: The prevalence of major depression (MD) according to population studies is the same for old (65 years and older) and younger adults. In contrast, an elevated proportion of old MD patients are hospitalized compared to younger adults with MD, indicating a need to expand the characteristics of old inpatients with MD. To illustrate this point, the association between inflammation and MD in old psychiatric inpatients is sparsely investigated even though an association between inflammation and treatment resistance among younger adults with MD has been reported.

Baseline cognitive function does not predict the treatment outcome of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in late-life depression.

Background: No prior study has investigated whether impairment of specific cognitive functions at baseline may predict the short-term treatment outcome of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in elderly non-demented patients with major depression (MD).

Methods: This longitudinal cohort study included 65 elderly patients with unipolar or bipolar MD, aged 60-85 years, treated with formula-based ECT. Treatment outcome was assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD17).

Clinical efficacy of formula-based bifrontal versus right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of major depression among elderly patients: a pragmatic, randomized, assessor-blinded, controlled trial.

Background: No prior study has compared the efficacy of bifrontal (BF) vs right unilateral (RUL) electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) by including the subgroup that is most likely to receive it: only elderly patients with major depression (MD).

Methods: This single-site, randomized, assessor-blinded, controlled trial was conducted from 2009 to 2013. Seventy-three elderly patients with MD, unipolar and bipolar, were treated with a course of formula-based BF ECT or RUL ECT.

Cognitive side-effects of electroconvulsive therapy in elderly depressed patients.

Knowledge about cognitive side-effects induced by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in depressed elderly patients is sparse. In this study we investigated changes in the cognitive functioning of non-demented elderly depressed patients receiving ECT (n = 62) compared with healthy elderly people (n = 17). Neuropsychological tests were administered at the start of treatment and again within 1 week after treatment.

Neuropsychological functioning in late-life depression.

Background: The literature describing neurocognitive function in patients with late-life depression (LLD) show inconsistent findings in regard to incidence and main deficits. Reduced information processing speed is in some studies found to explain deficits in higher order cognitive function, while other studies report specific deficits in memory and executive function. Our aim was to determine the characteristics of neuropsychological functioning in non-demented LLD patients.