AJNN
Academic Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology

Academic Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology (formerly known as the Academic Journal of Neurology and Neurosurgery, e-ISSN:3023-6517), deals with neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and clinical psychology accepts articles on these topics. Academic Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology publishes original research articles, review articles, case reports, editorial commentaries, letters to the editor, educational articles, and conference/meeting announcements.

eISSN: 3108-8171
Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.
EndNote Style

Online Manuscript System

Index
Original Article
Researching the correlation between clock drawing test outcomes and depression severity in patients with forgetfulness, mild cognitive impairment, and depression
Abstract
Aims: Depression and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are syndromes that impair cognitive functions and negatively affect both patients and caregivers. This study aimed to compare Clock Drawing Test (CDT) results in patients with MCI and depression presenting with subjective memory complaints (SMC).
Methods: A total of 96 patients with SMC were retrospectively reviewed. MCI diagnosis was determined using the Standardized Mini-Mental Test (SMMT) administered by a neurologist. Patients with high Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were referred to the psychiatry outpatient clinic and diagnosed with depression. CDT performance was evaluated across diagnostic groups. Statistical analyses were performed to examine differences according to depression status and cognitive assessment scores.
Results: Significant differences were observed between diagnostic groups regarding depression status (p=0.001) and SMMT results (p=0.001). No significant differences were found in relation to SST results (p>0.05). The findings indicate that depression negatively influences cognitive performance in individuals with SMC, and that SMC is frequently observed in elderly patients.
Conclusion: SMC is common among older adults in tertiary care and should not be overlooked. Depression is associated with both subjective and objective cognitive impairment and represents a risk factor for dementia. Close monitoring of patients with SMC and depression may facilitate early detection of cognitive decline and timely interventions.

Keywords : Dementia, depression, forgetfulness, mild cognitive Impairment, clock drawing test, subjective memory complaints

Download Article


1. Ponds RW, Commissaris KJ, Jolles J. Prevalence and covariates of subjective forgetfulness in a normal population in The Netherlands. Int J Aging Hum Dev. 1997;45(3):207-221. doi:10.2190/MVQ1-WB58-875H-Y4X0
2. Abdulrab K, Heun R. Subjective memory impairment: a review of its definitions indicates the need for a comprehensive set of standardised and validated criteria. Eur Psychiatry. 2008;23(5):321-330. doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2008.02.004
3. Mitchell AJ. The clinical significance of subjective memory complaints in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and dementia: a meta-analysis. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008;23:1191-1202. doi:10.1002/gps.2053
4. Petersen RC. Mild cognitive impairment as a diagnostic entity. J Intern Med. 2004;256(3):183-194. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.2004.01388.x
5. Winblad B, Palmer K, Kivipelto M, et al. Mild cognitive impairment-beyond controversies, towards a consensus: report of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Intern Med. 2004;256(3):240-246. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.2004.01380.x
6. Mitchell AJ, Shiri-Feshki M. Rate of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia-meta-analysis of 41 robust inception cohort studies. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2009;119(4):252-265. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01326.x
7. Sadavoy C, Jarvik LF, Grossberg GT, Meyers BS. Comprehensive Textbook of Geriatric Psychiatry. 1st ed. New York, NY: American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry; WW Norton & Company; 2004.
8. Lahr D, Beblo T, Hartje W. Cognitive performance and subjective complaints before and after remission of major depression. Cogn Neuropsychiatry. 2007;12(1):25-45. doi:10.1080/13546800600714791
9. Spar EJ, LaRue A. Clinical Manual of Geriatric Psychiatry. 3rd ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc; 2006:67-126.
10. Auning E, Selnes P, Grambaite R, et al. Neurobiological correlates of depressive symptoms in people with subjective and mild cognitive impairment. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2015;131:139-147. doi:10.1111/acps.12352
11. Brendel M, Pogarell O, Xiong G, et al. Depressive symptoms accelerate cognitive decline in amyloid-positive MCI patients. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2015;42:716-724. doi:10.1007/s00259-014-2975-4
12. Marano CM, Workman CI, Lyman CH, et al. The relationship between fasting serum glucose and cerebral glucose metabolism in late-life depression and normal aging. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2014;222:84-90. doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2014.01.009
13. Shulman KI. Clock-drawing: is it the ideal cognitive screening test? Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2000;15(6):548-561. doi:10.1002/1099-1166(200006)15:6<548::aid-gps242>3.0.co;2-u
14. Spenciere B, Alves H, Charchat-Fichman H. Scoring systems for the Clock Drawing Test: a historical review. Dement Neuropsychol. 2017;11(1):6-14. doi:10.1590/1980-57642016dn11-010003
15. Eknoyan D, Hurley RA, Taber KH. The clock drawing task: common errors and functional neuroanatomy. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2012;24(3):260-265. doi:10.1176/appi.neuropsych.12070180
16. Ballard C, Bannister C, Solis M, Oyebode F, Wilcock G. The prevalence, associations and symptoms of depression amongst dementia sufferers. J Affect Disord. 1996;36(3-4):135-144. doi:10.1016/0165-0327(95)00072-0
17. Nilsson J, Thomas AJ, Stevens LH, McAllister-Williams RH, Ferrier IN, Gallagher P. The interrelationship between attentional and executive deficits in major depressive disorder. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2016;134(1): 73-82. doi:10.1111/acps.12570
18. Shilyansky C, Williams LM, Gyurak A, Harris A, Usherwood T, Etkin A. Effect of antidepressant treatment on cognitive impairments associated with depression: a randomised longitudinal study. Lancet Psychiatry. 2016;3(5):425-435. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(16)00012-2
19. Güngen C, Ertan T, Eker E, Yaşar R, Engin F. Standardize Mini Mental Test’in Türk toplumunda hafif demans tanısında geçerlik ve güvenilirliği [Reliability and validity of the standardized mini mental state examination in the diagnosis of mild dementia in Turkish population]. Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2002;13(4):273-281.
20. Folstein M, Folstein S, Folstein J. The Mini-Mental State Examination: a brief cognitive assessment. In: Abou-Saleh MT, Katona C, Kumar A, eds. Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry. 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons; 2010:145-146. doi:10.1002/9780470669600.ch27
21. Lessig MC, Scanlan JM, Nazemi H, Borson S. Time that tells: critical clock-drawing errors for dementia screening. Int Psychogeriatr. 2008; 20(3):459-470. doi:10.1017/S1041610207006035
22. Yuan J, Libon DJ, Karjadi C, et al. Association between the digital clock drawing test and neuropsychological test performance: large community-based prospective cohort (Framingham Heart Study). J Med Internet Res. 2021;23(6):e27407. doi:10.2196/27407
23. Beck AT, Ward CH, Mendelson M, Mock J, Erbaugh J. An inventory for measuring depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1961;4:561-571. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004
24. Hisli N. Beck Depresyon Envanteri’nin üniversite öğrencileri için geçerliği, güvenirliği. Psikoloji Derg. 1989;7(23):3-13.
25. Açikgöz M, Özen Baru TB, Emre U, Taşçilar N, Atalay A, Köktürk F. Assessment of relation between subjective memory complaints and objective cognitive performance of elderly over 55 years of age. Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2014;51(2):57-62. doi:10.4274/npa.y6719
26. Roberts JL, Clare L, Woods RT. Subjective memory complaints and awareness of memory functioning in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2009;28(2):95-109. doi:10.1159/000234911
27. Duman B, Kızıl ETÖ, Baran ZP, Kırıcı PS, Turan E. Discrepancy between subjective memory complaints and objective memory deficits in elderly patients with depression compared to mild cognitive impairment. Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2016;27(1):1-7.
28. Hwang TJ, Masterman DL, Ortiz F, Fairbanks LA, Cummings JL. Mild cognitive impairment is associated with characteristic neuropsychiatric symptoms. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2004;18(1):17-21. doi:10.1097/00002093-200401000-00004
29. Brigola AG, Manzini CSS, Oliveira GBS, Ottaviani AC, Sako MP, Vale FAC. Subjective memory complaints associated with depression and cognitive impairment in the elderly: a systematic review. Dement Neuropsychol. 2015;9(1):51-57. doi:10.1590/S1980-57642015DN91000009
30. Balash Y, Mordechovich M, Shabtai H, Giladi N, Gurevich T, Korczyn AD. Subjective memory complaints in elders: depression, anxiety, or cognitive decline? Acta Neurol Scand. 2013;127(5):344-350. doi:10.1111/ane.12038
31. Sousa M, Pereira A, Costa R. Subjective memory complaint and depressive symptoms among older adults in Portugal. Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res. 2015;2015:296581. doi:10.1155/2015/296581
32. Jang YJ, Park JY, Kim SY, et al. Variation in depression’s impact on dementia risk by age in adults aged ?75 years. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2025;17(4):e70185. doi:10.1002/dad2.70185
33. Holmquist S, Nordström A, Nordström P. The association of depression with subsequent dementia diagnosis: a Swedish nationwide cohort study from 1964 to 2016. PLoS Med. 2020;17(1):e1003016. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003016
Article available in :
Volume 3, Issue 2, 2026
Page : 28-32
https://doi.org/10.51271/AJNN-0047
Article Information
Received : 25 Şub 2026
Accepted : 30 Mar 2026
Published : 27 Haz 2026
Corresponding Author :

Esra Porgalı Zayman: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, İnönü University, Malatya, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Porgalı Zayman E, Çankaya Ş, Zayman E, Bakırhan A. Researching the correlation between clock drawing test outcomes and depression severity in patients with forgetfulness, mild cognitive impairment, and depression. Acad J Neuropsychiatry Neuropsychol. 2026;3(2):28-32. doi:10.51271/AJNN-0047

Read: 334
Download : 363
Cited: 0
_Footer