Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease
Published on: July 24, 2019
Detecting depression in Parkinson disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Zahra Goodarzi1, Kelly J Mrklas2, Derek J Roberts2
1From the Departments of Community Health Sciences (Z.G., K.J.M., D.J.R., N.J., T.P., J.H.-L.) and Clinical Neurosciences (N.J., T.P.), University of Calgary; Research Priorities and Implementation (K.J.M.), Alberta Health Services, Edmonton; Departments of Critical Care Medicine (D.J.R.) and Surgery (D.J.R.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute and O'Brien Institute for Public Health (N.J., T.P., J.H.-L.), and Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics (T.P.) and Medicine (Z.G., J.H.-L.), University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Canada. zahra.goodarzi@albertahealthservices.ca.
Background:
Failure to detect depression in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) can lead to worsened outcomes for patients and caregivers. Accurate identification of depression would enable practitioners to provide comprehensive care for their patients with PD.
Methods:
Our objective was to examine the diagnostic accuracy of tools for detecting depression in adult outpatients with PD. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE (inception to December 1, 2015), gray literature, and bibliographies of included studies. The pooled prevalence of depression across studies and diagnostic accuracy estimates were calculated using random-effects models. Diagnostic accuracy estimates were calculated across the best-reported cutoffs from each study and across specific cutoffs, when feasible.
Results:
Out of 8,184 citations, 21 studies were included, evaluating 24 tools, with 4 amenable to meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of major depression was 22.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 18.1-27.7). The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) had a pooled sensitivity of 0.81 (95% CI 0.64-0.91) and specificity of 0.91 (95% CI 0.87-0.94). The most sensitive cutoff for the GDS-15 was 5 at 0.91 (95% CI 0.83-1.00). The Beck Depression Inventory I/Ia had a pooled sensitivity of 0.79 (95% CI 0.61-0.90) and specificity of 0.85 (95% CI 0.79-0.90). The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale yielded a pooled sensitivity of 0.77 (95% CI 0.69-0.83) and specificity of 0.92 (95% CI 0.79-0.97). The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale had a pooled sensitivity of 0.72 (95% CI 0.64-0.79) and specificity of 0.80 (95% CI 0.70-0.87). All estimates had heterogeneity.
Conclusions:
There are several valid tools for detecting depression in patients with PD. Practitioners should choose one that fits their clinical practice.
More Related Videos
04:33Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
07:26Characterizing the Relationship Between Eye Movement Parameters and Cognitive Functions in Non-demented Parkinson's Disease Patients with Eye Tracking
Published on: September 26, 2019