Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36572691›Full record

ReviewTranslational psychiatry2022

The neurobiology of apathy in depression and neurocognitive impairment in older adults: a review of epidemiological, clinical, neuropsychological and biological research.

David C Steffens, Mario Fahed, Kevin J Manning, Lihong Wang

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Translational psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
46citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
11.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

46 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 90 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Review
  5. Adverse policing as a social exposome pathway: Implications for depression, cognition, and dementia risk.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Diagnosis and management of subjects with mild cognitive impairment in clinical practice: an Italian delphi consensus study.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Moderators of treatment response in late-life depression.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Apathy and Depression Impact on Cognitive Decline: Neuropsychological Specificities across Neurodegenerative Diseases.Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists · 2026
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. From dysphoria to anhedonia: age-related shift in the link between cognitive and affective symptoms.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026
    Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

David C SteffensDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA. steffens@uchc.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-6626-7398
Mario FahedDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
Kevin J ManningDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
Lihong WangDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
University of Connecticut · US

Funding

Research Education ComponentP30AG067988 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · PI Richard H Fortinsky, GEORGE A KUCHEL · 2021 to 2026
$9.5M
Apathy and Reward Systems in Alzheimer's DiseaseR21MH120698 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · PI STEFFENS, DAVID C. · 2019 to 2020
$451k
NIA NIH HHS P30 AG067988NIMH NIH HHS R21 MH120698
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Apathy is a common condition that involves diminished initiative, diminished interest and diminished emotional expression or responsiveness. It is highly prevalent in the context of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders and is related to poor health outcomes. Presence of apathy is associated with cognitive and functional decline in dementia. Despite its negative impact on health, there is no definitive treatment for apathy, a clinical reality that may be due in part to lack of knowledge about assessment, neuropsychological features and neurobiological underpinnings. Here, we review and synthesize evidence from clinical, epidemiological, neuropsychological, peripheral biomarker and neuroimaging research. Apathy is a common feature of depression and cognitive disorders and is associated with impairment in executive function. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies point to dysfunction of brain circuitry involving the prefrontal cortex, especially the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex circuit, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex circuit, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex circuit. However, inconsistent findings, particularly in neuroimaging may be due to heterogeneity of apathy symptoms (with a need to better elucidate subtypes), neuropsychiatric comorbidities, the severity of cognitive impairment and other factors. These factors need to be accounted for in future studies so that biomarker research can make progress. On the whole, the literature on apathy has identified likely neurocognitive, peripheral biomarker and neuroimaging targets for understanding apathy, but also points to the need to address methodological issues that will better inform future studies. In turn, as we learn more about the underpinning of apathy and its subtypes, subsequent research can focus on new neurally based interventions that will strengthen the clinical management of apathy in the context of its comorbidities.

Indexed as

ApathyCognition DisordersCognitive DysfunctionAgedBrainDepressionHumansNeuropsychological Tests

Identifiers

PMID36572691
PMCPMC9792580
OpenAlexW4312220013

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.