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Abstract #2205

The Role of Brain Structure & Executive Function on Visuoconstructional Processing in Late Life Depression

Melissa Lamar1, Emma Rhodes2, Olusola Ajilore2, Aifeng Zhang2, Maria Caserta2, Anand Kumar2

1Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL , United States; 2Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States


Executive functioning appears key to successful visuoconstructional performance in aging but little is known about how it (or age-related alterations in brain structure) contribute to performance in late-life depression. We examined the role of executive functioning in visuoconstructional processing in late life depression and healthy aging taking into account age-related white matter and hippocampal volumes. Comparisons of 57 adults with late-life depression and 87 healthy controls did not reveal brain structure or function (i.e., visuoconstructional) differences; however, regression analyses revealed the importance of executive functioning and white matter volume to visuoconstructional performance in healthy controls but not in late-life depression.