| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Barak 1996 | Excluded as study investigates the properties of inositol which is not generally regarded as an antidepressant (it is an isomer of glucose and precursor for the second messenger system involving phospatidylinositol, and it has been reported as having antidepressant properties). This study investigated its utility in improving cognitive functioning in a group of subjects with Alzheimer's disease. Subjects whose estimate of depressive symptoms was higher than minimal were excluded. |
| Brodaty 2003 | Patients were diagnosed with dementia, but only some suffered from depression which was not diagnosed using DSM criteria. |
| Bui 2012 | Case report, not a treatment trial |
| Burke 1994 | Case reports of four patients with Alzheimer's disease and accompanying depression and psychosis treated with SSRIs |
| Capote 1978 | RCT of patients with senile dementia, but treatment given was not an antidepressant (Cyclandelate is a vasodilator) |
| Choe 2014 | Patients were not depressed |
| Devanand 2003 | No well‐defined dementia diagnosis |
| Drye 2012 | Only patients without major depression were included. |
| Dunbar 2011 | Patients were not diagnosed with dementia and depression. |
| Fairweather 1993 | Study (RCT) designed to compare the effects on cognition of fluoxetine and amitriptyline in depressed elderly patients; patients not demented and study not placebo‐controlled |
| Finkel 2004 | Placebo controlled RCT of sertraline, patients diagnosed with probable AD, all on donepezil, and with behavioural manifestations but not necessarily depressed |
| Flicker 1998 | Presentation of published work (clarified by correspondence with authors) |
| Gottfries 1991 | Subjects do not meet criteria for depression, it is a study of citalopram for 'emotional disturbance' associated with dementia. |
| Gottfries 1992 | Review article reviewing the 2 Nyth studies |
| Hoyberg 1996 | RCT of mirtazapine in the depressed elderly, but they were not demented |
| Jenike 1985 | Case reports of two patients with Alzheimer's disease and depression who failed to respond to standard antidepressants but did respond to MAOIs |
| Karlsson 2000 | RCT of citalopram vs mianserin in depressed elderly patients who may also have had dementia, but not placebo controlled, therefore excluded |
| Katona 1998 | Not placebo controlled, imipramine compared with paroxetine in cognitively impaired, depressed patients |
| Lebert 2006 | No standardised criteria for the diagnoses of dementia and depression |
| Magai 2000 | Although the participants were demented, only 10% were also diagnosed cases of major depression. |
| Mizukami 2009 | No placebo group |
| Mokhber 2014 | No placebo group |
| Moretti 2003 | Study of paroxetine vs piracetam for patients with frontotemporal dementia, and behavioural manifestations, but not depression |
| Mossello 2008 | Retrospective study, no blinding to treatment status, no formal criteria used to define depression |
| Mowla 2007 | The patients were not diagnosed with depression. |
| Nebes 2003 | Study of citalopram vs placebo for patients with probable AD, all on donepezil, all with behavioural symptoms which may include depression; not clear whether it is randomised |
| Nelson 2006 | No clear dementia diagnosis, no placebo control |
| Nyth 1990 | Combined double‐blind and open technique; looks at the effect of citalopram on emotional disturbance in patients with various subtypes of dementia; patients are not diagnosed with depression according to any recognised criteria |
| Nyth 1992 | Amalgamated depressed patients also suffering from somatic disorders or dementia (or both); out of the 149 patients, 98 had DSM‐III major depression and 29 dementia; those with concurrent dementia and depression not separated |
| Oslin 2000 | Two trials, one open‐label of sertraline, another an RCT of low versus high dose nortriptyline, but no placebo group; patients were depressed and some may have been demented |
| Oslin 2003 | RCT of venlataxine versus sertraline in patients with DSM‐IV diagnosed depressive disorder and dementia; no placebo group |
| Passeri 1987 | Participants did not meet recognised criteria for depressive illness; minaprine not generally available or used as an antidepressant |
| Pelton 2008 | Study on donepezil augmentation to antidepressant treatment, no blinding to antidepressant treatment status |
| Pelton 2014 | Not an antidepressant RCT |
| Peters 2011 | Not a treatment trial |
| Pollock 2007 | Study on treatment of behavioural and psychotic symptoms with risperidone or citalopram in dementia; non‐depressed patients |
| Reynolds III 1987 | Open trial, not randomised, placebo‐controlled or double‐blind |
| Rozzini 2010 | Not an RCT, not blind |
| Smith 1984 | N = 28, severely demented, six with endogenous or reactive depression; no information on whether formal diagnostic criteria met. In addition to the above problems, they used a cross‐over design, all patients prescribed tryptophan for one month, and then switched to placebo. |
| Streim 2000 | There was no placebo group. The study examined response to high and low dose nortriptyline among 69 patients living in nursing homes. Patients were depressed according to psychiatric interview and depression scales. Moderate cognitive impairment was not a reason for exclusion. |
| Swartz 1997 | Not randomised, double‐blind or placebo‐controlled; not specifically looking at dementia |
| Taragano 1997 | Randomised trial of amitriptyline vs fluoxetine, for patients with probable AD and major depressive disorder, but not placebo‐controlled |
| Teranishi 2013 | BPSD, not depression per se; no placebo group |
| van Asch 2013 | Not an RCT |
AD: Alzheimer's disease BPSD: behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia MAOIs: monoamine oxidase inhibitors RCT: randomised controlled trial SSRIs: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors VD: vascular dementia