title: Executive functions in unipolar depression before and after electroconvulsive therapy.
abstract: A neuropsychological investigation of executive functions in patients with unipolar depression was conducted. Ten patients with unipolar depression were tested before, 48 hours after, and 3 months after ECT. Control subjects were tested at similar intervals. Measures included 10 executive and related tasks (20 variables) on which frontal lobe lesion patients have been previously shown to be differentially impaired, and 1 "nonexecutive" task. Patients were significantly inferior to controls on 9 of the executive and related variables before treatment and performed slightly worse 48 hours after treatment. Significant improvement after 3 months was absent. Depressed patients were not impaired on the "nonexecutive" task.
authors: Laboratory of Psychology and Psychopathology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors: B P
authors: BP
authors: Jones
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Henderson
authors: C A
authors: CA
authors: Welch
mesh_terms: D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D004597:Electroshock; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013997:Time Factors