Unraveling Ariadne's Thread Into the Labyrinth of aMCI: Depression and Financial Capacity.

BACKGROUND

People with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) face many daily challenges as memory loss is their predominant cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined whether financial capacity can be influenced by comorbid depression in patients with multiple-domain aMCI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The participants included 120 patients in 4 groups: multiple-domain aMCI with and without depressive symptoms, and nondemented elders with and without depression. Participants were examined with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale.

RESULTS

The findings extend earlier work in other groups of older patients and indicate that the performance of patients with multiple-domain aMCI in cognitive functioning and financial capacity is severely impaired when depression coexists, resembling the performance of patients with mild Alzheimer disease.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support special care for individuals with depression as this condition severely influences financial capacity in aMCI.