MRI-DEFINED VASCULAR DEPRESSION

Objective: The authors' goal was to characterize the clinical and demo graphic features of vascular depression. Method: They classified 89 de pressed patients into two groups-those with vascular (N=32) and nonvas cular (N=57) depression-on the basis of examination of brain magnetic resonance images. All of the patients were enrolled in the National In stitute of Mental Health Clinical Research Center for the Study of Dep ression in Later Life, located at Duke University. The patients with v ascular and nonvascular depression were compared on several clinical a nd demographic risk factors. Results: Bivariate analyses and a fully a djusted logistic regression model revealed that older age, late age at onset, and nonpsychotic subtype occurred more often in patients with vascular depression than in those with nonvascular depression. A famil y history of mental illness was found somewhat less often, and anhedon ia and functional disability were seen somewhat more often in patients with vascular depression. Conclusions: The profile of patients with v ascular depression needs to be developed further. This is likely to ha ve important therapeutic and theoretical implications for the manageme nt of these patients.