Impact of Comorbid Depression on Serial Position Effects in Alzheimer’s Disease

Hippocampal dysfunction and deficits in episodic memory have been reported for both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Primacy performance has been associated with hippocampus-dependent episodic memory, while recency may reflect working memory performance. In this study, serial position profiles were examined in a total of 73 patients with MDD, AD, both AD and MDD, and healthy controls (HC) by means of CERAD-NP word list memory. Primacy performance was most impaired in AD with comorbid MDD, followed by AD, MDD, and HC. Recency performance, on the other hand, was comparable across groups. These findings indicate that primacy in AD is impaired in the presence of comorbid MDD, suggesting additive performance decrements in this specific episodic memory function.

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Supplemental Material for Serial Position Effects on List Learning Tasks in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

Neuropsychology ◽

10.1037/neu0000620.supp ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Serial Position ◽

Position Effects ◽

Serial Position Effects ◽

Learning Tasks ◽

List Learning

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Serial position effects on list learning tasks in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

Neuropsychology ◽

10.1037/neu0000620 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 467-478

Author(s):

Daniel S. Weitzner ◽

Matthew Calamia

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Serial Position ◽

Position Effects ◽

Serial Position Effects ◽

Learning Tasks ◽

List Learning

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Comparison of the serial position effect in very mild Alzheimer's disease, mild Alzheimer's disease, and amnesia associated with electroconvulsive therapy

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617700633040 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 290-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

PETER J. BAYLEY ◽

DAVID P. SALMON ◽

MARK W. BONDI ◽

BARBARA K. BUI ◽

JOHN OLICHNEY ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Serial Position ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽

Memory Impairment ◽

Serial Position Effect ◽

Position Effect ◽

Primacy Effect ◽

Position Effects ◽

Serial Position Effects

Individuals given a series of words to memorize normally show better immediate recall for items from the beginning and end of the list than for midlist items. This phenomenon, known as the serial position effect, is thought to reflect the concurrent contributions of secondary and primary memory, respectively, to recall performance. The present study compared the serial position effects produced on Trial 1 of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in mildly demented (N = 25; M MMSE = 20.0) and very mildly demented (N = 25; M MMSE = 25.5) patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and age- and education-matched normal control (NC) participants (N = 50). In addition, the serial position effects of the very mildly demented AD patients were compared to those of patients with a transient, circumscribed amnesia arising from a prescribed series of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments for the relief of depressive illness (N = 11). While the NC group exhibited the typical serial position effect, AD patients recalled significantly fewer words than NC participants overall, and exhibited a significantly reduced primacy effect (i.e., recall of the first 2 list items) with a normal recency effect (i.e., recall of the last 2 list items). Patients with circumscribed amnesia due to ECT were as impaired as the very mildly demented AD patients on most standard CVLT measures of learning and memory, but exhibited primacy and recency effects, which were within normal limits. These results suggest that a reduction in the primacy effect, but not the recency effect, is an early and ubiquitous feature of the memory impairment of AD. It is not, however, a necessary feature of all causes of memory impairment. (JINS, 2000, 6, 290–298.)

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