Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on March 10, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Thesis advisor: Dr. Mihail Popescu. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1989. / Vita. Includes bibliographies.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-163).

The number of adults in the United States who are age 65 or older is rapidly increasing. With longer lifespan comes an increase in chronic diseases such as dementia, diabetes, and depression. This study used archival data from a larger study conducted at the Memory Clinic at John Peter Smith County Hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas to examine several hypotheses and research questions related to the influence of type of dementia, presence of Type II diabetes, and presence of depression on neuropsychological test performance. First, this study attempted to identify specific patterns of performance on neuropsychological measures for those with Alzheimer's dementia (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The results indicated that those with MCI perform better than those with AD or VaD on all neuropsychological measures, and that those with VaD perform better than those with AD on a measure of verbal memory. Another purpose of the study was to determine how the presence of Type II diabetes affects this pattern of functioning; the overall finding in this study was that the presence or absence of diabetes did not affect performance on measures of cognitive functioning. Additionally, the study attempted to add to literature examining the influence of depression on older adults with diabetes and/or dementia; no significant differences emerged.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether biological variables could predict how older adults would respond to different types of treatment for depression. Fifty-six adults over the age of sixty-five, diagnosed with major depression (DSM III criteria) were assigned to one of four treatment conditions: group Cognitive Behavior Therapy with alprazolam or placebo medications, and minimal support therapy with alprazolam or placebo medication. Before and after treatment, REM latency and REM density were measured by polysomnograph in the sleep laboratory and the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) was administered. Depression was measured by weekly by the Hamilton Depression rating Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. Subjects presented with normal (i.e. nondepressed) values on REM latency and REM density. Thirty five percent of subjects were DST nonsuppressors, a similar percentage to that found in other studies of depressed subjects, but mean DST for the whole group was below the selected cutoff of 4 mcg/dl. The expected correlations among the biological variables and between these variables and baseline depression levels were not found. It was concluded, therefore, that depression in this group of subjects was not characterized by biological abnormalities. Multiple regression analyses of baseline variables and depression scores at mid and end of treatment and at followup indicated that initial depression levels and DST predicted later depression levels for subjects who received Cognitive Behavior Therapy, regardless of medication assignment. Low baseline DST levels were associated with good response to psychotherapy, confirming the findings of previous studies. Sleep variables were not predictive of response to treatment at any time point.