Characterizing Cognitive Decline in Late Life Depression: The ADNI Depression Project

Rate of Change in neuropsychological measures of executive function as measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test using total correct.

The Digit Symbol subtest is a measure of attention, working memory, and information processing speed. Participants are presented with a stimulus sheet, and asked to write in the correct symbol that corresponds with a number keyed at the top of the page. A scaled score is calculated based on the number of total correct responses.

Time frame: 5 years (parent protocol), 5 years (continuation)

Rate of Change in expressive language as measured by the Boston Naming Test using total correct.

Boston Naming Test is a measure of visual confrontation naming requires the subject to name objects depicted in outline drawings. The drawings are graded in difficulty, with the easiest drawings presented first. If a subject encounters difficulty in naming an object, a stimulus cue and/or a phonemic cue is provided. The number of spontaneous correct responses (maximum score = 30) and spontaneous plus semantically-cued correct responses (maximum score = 30) are recorded. The number of perceptual errors, circumlocutions, paraphasic errors, and perseverations can also be used to evaluate the subjects' language performance.

Time frame: 5 years (parent protocol), 5 years (continuation)

Rate of change in learning and memory as measured by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test using total correct and delayed recall.

Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) is a list learning task which assesses multiple cognitive parameters associated with learning and memory. On each of 5 learning trials, 15 unrelated words (all nouns) are presented orally at the rate of one word per second and immediate free recall of the words is elicited. The number of correctly recalled words on each trial is recorded. Following a 20-minute delay filled with unrelated testing, free recall of the original 15 word list is elicited. Finally, a yes/no recognition test is administered which consists of the original 15 words and 15 randomly interspersed distracter words. The number of target "hits" and false positive responses are recorded.

Time frame: 5 years (parent protocol), 5 years (continuation)

Change in brain structure using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

MRI will be used to conduct cortical thickness analysis of whole brain and hippocampus utilizing the following sequences: 3D T1-weighted volume, FLAIR, T2\*GRE, and Arterial Spin-Labeling (ASL) Perfusion.

Time frame: 5 years (parent protocol), 5 years (continuation)

Extent of amyloid deposition as measured by florbetapir

Data from these scans will be collected via standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) normalized to the cerebellum

Time frame: 5 years (parent protocol), 5 years (continuation)

Extent of tau deposition as measured by flortaucipr

Time frame: 5 years (continuation)