Effects of sad mood on autobiographical memory in older adults with and without lifetime depression

The main objective of this study was to determine whether reduced autobiographical memory specificity is also a marker for depression in older adults. To answer this question two experiments and a prospective longitudinal clinical study were executed with the autobiographical memory task (AMT) as measure for memory specificity. The objective of the 1st experimental study was to assess the influence of a negative mood induction versus the effect of multiple testing in a neutral condition in 58 never depressed (ND) elderly. In the 2nd experimental study a negative mood was induced in 63 participants remitted from depression (RD) compared to 60 matched ND controls. All participants were 55 and older. Lastly, the predictive value of the AMT for the course of depressive symptoms was assessed in the RD individuals over a 14-17 months follow-up (FU) period.

Performance did not improve with repeated testing, but a trend was found suggesting fatigue. There was no difference between the RD and ND group on baseline AMT. The mood induction had no effect on the AMT regardless of clinical history. Changes in the level of depressive symptoms at the 14-month FU were predicted by residual symptoms at baseline and the number of previous depressive episode, but not by baseline AMT, changes in AMT or mood after mood induction.

The results of this study suggest that memory specificity on the AMT may not be a useful marker for vulnerability for clinical depression in older adults.