Differential reports of pain and depression differentiate mild cognitive impairment from cognitively intact elderly participants.

Background: Positive associations between pain and depression in the general population have been well characterized; however, the interplay between pain, depression, and early cognitive decline, characterized as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is poorly understood. Methods: The current study examined the association of self-reported pain complaints (measured by the 36-item Short Form Health Survey) and self-reported depressive symptoms (measured by the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale) in cognitively intact participants (n = 492) and participants with a clinical diagnosis of MCI (n = 83). Results: Depressive symptoms and subjective reports of pain were significantly associated in the entire sample (r = .29; P < .0001). Multiple logistic regression modeling (adjusted for age, education, and APOE4 status as covariates) demonstrated that while depressive symptoms were positively associated with the diagnosis of MCI (P < .001), subjective pain reports were negatively associated with MCI (P < .002). Conclu...