Impacto de la depresión en las funciones ejecutivas en personas adultas mayores con deterioro cognitivo.

Abstract

Introduction. Depression and cognitive impairment are common conditions among the older adult population. However, their comorbidity is generally overlooked in clinical and medical approaches, with the psychological aspect and manifestations of depression during cognitive impairment being neglected. Objective. This study aimed to determine how depressive symptoms affect executive functions in older adults with cognitive impairment. Methodology. A narrative review design with a qualitative approach was adopted, and three independent search strategies were implemented for each objective based on items 7, 8, 9, and 16a of the PRISMA 2021 statement, only in high-impact academic databases such as Scopus, PubMed, and Taylor & Francis. Results. Sixteen articles were included, distributed by objective. Impotence and anhedonia were the most significant depressive symptoms. Depression was associated with impairment in episodic memory, attention, language, decision-making, and daily functioning. In addition, a prevalence of depression between 21.2% and 31.8% was observed in older adults diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Conclusion. In older adults, depression in the presence of cognitive impairment ―especially symptoms such as helplessness and anhedonia― was found to mainly affect the cognitive functioning. Executive functions are affected in terms of attentional and inhibitory control, decision-making, language, and the ability to generate strategies and solve problems.