IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY POSTURE AND PSYCHOMOTOR RETARDATION IN DEPRESSED OLDER ADULTS?

• Published in: Innovation in aging 2017-07, Vol.1 (suppl_1), p.352-352
• Main Authors: Deschamps, T., Sauvaget, A., Bulteau, S., Thomas-Ollivier, V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igx004.1286

The current study supported the idea that postural control variables, particularly the center-of-pressure velocity-based parameters, could be a relevant hallmark of depression-related psychomotor retardation (PMR). The purposes were twofold: first, it aimed to clearly look at the interplay between the subjective PMR scores and the postural performance in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), as compared to age-matched healthy controls; secondly, it focused on the impact of a repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment on depression, PMR objective and subjective evaluations. Sixteen MDD patients (mean age 57.9 ± 13.9 years) were compared to 16 healthy controls adults (mean age 60.7 ± 9.6 years). All participants were asked to maintain standing position on a force platform during two trials of quiet standing balance with eyes open or eyes closed, and two “ dual task ” trials while backward counting by two from a random number around 100. During the 60-s trials, dependent variables computed from the analysis of center-of-pressure trajectories were recorded. Before and after the rTMS session, the depression level and the PMR were scored with the French Retardation Rating Scale for Depression (ERD). The present results contributed to a deeper understanding of the motor performance that characterizes objectively the depression-related PMR. In fact, significant partial correlations between body posture and ERD scores, and positive effects of rTMS treatment on postural instability in dual task, PMR and depression (p < 0.05) validated the view that the assessment of postural performance constitutes an objective marker of PMR in depressed patients.