Predictors of Response and Remission to Antidepressants in Geriatric Depression: A Systematic Review

Geriatric depression is a heterogeneous disorder that increases morbidity and mortality in a population that is already vulnerable. Predicting response and remission to antidepressants could help clinicians to optimize the management of antidepressants and reduce the consequences of depression.

The aim of this article is to present results of a systematic review of the literature on predictive factors related to antidepressant response and remission in older adults with depression.

We identified sociodemographic, clinical, neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and genetic factors that could be potential predictors of outcomes. Inconsistent findings and methodological differences among studies, however, limit the generalizability and application of these predictors in clinical practice. The results of our review confirm that geriatric depression includes many subgroups of patients with particular endophenotypes that may influence the course of depression.

Further studies are needed to characterize depression subgroups in order to better understand the pathophysiology of late life depression and to find specific predictors for each group of patients.