Language deficits in depression: comparisons with SDAT and normal aging.

In order to contribute to the definition of the structure of cognitive deficits in major depression/unipolar, language processing was studied in 20 elderly persons with major depression/unipolar, 23 elderly with SDAT, and 20 normal elderly. Measures administered included the Western Aphasia Battery, Test for Syntactic Complexity, and Chomsky Test of Syntax. Results indicate that depressed elderly performance on structural language variables of repetition, naming, auditory verbal comprehension, syntax, and reading is significantly better than performance of the SDAT sample. In contrast, results suggest that in comparing normal and depressed elderly, the normal elderly have the edge. On three measures of eleven, there are significant differences between depressed and normal elderly language processing. In analyzing the measures of significant difference, it is determined that complexity is an intervening variable. It is concluded that although the reason for language deficits in major depression/unipolar is as yet unknown, it is not justifiable at present to rule out an organic hypothesis.