The major goal of this proposal is the development of the applicant into a leading researcher in geriatric mental health. He will develop his own research skills in order to: 1. contribute to his own scientific field of interest; 2. prepare himself to serve as a research mentor for junior investigators; and 3. serve as an educator in geriatric mental health (for medical students, residents, Fellows, primary care physicians, allied health personnel, etc.) at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, in the New York community, and in appropriate regional and national settings. The long-standing and long-range interest of the applicant concerns the diagnosis and treatment of affective disorders in the physically ill. Specifically, the applicant envisions a long-term commitment to the study of the treatment of depression in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The project proposed here described a randomized, clinical trial of fluoxetine vs. placebo for the treatment of major depression (MD) in patients with PD. Selected demographic, clinical, cognitive, and biological variables will also be measured to examine their relationship to outcome. To extend this research in the future, the applicant will seek additional external funding (R01) for clinical and biological studies concerning the treatment of major and minor depression in patients with PD.
