A preliminary study of the association between changes in mood and cognition in a mixed geriatric psychiatry sample

The relationship between measures of mood state and cognitive function was investigated in a sample of geriatric psychiatry inpatients. All were admit ted to an urban hospital with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Pati ents with diminishing negative affects and depressive symptoms during the c ourse of hospitalisation improved significantly on three cognitive tests, a nd half of the group members were no longer impaired according to their per formance on a mental status Exam. Correlations between cognition and mood-s cale change scores were significant on tests emphasizing spatial processing and learning. Although the effects were modest in this heterogenous sample , the data demonstrate a significant, influence of changing mood state on n europsychological test performance.