Psychomotor slowing and subcortical-type dysfunction in depression.
Elderly patients with major depression and normal controls completed the Sternberg short-term memory scanning procedure and WAIS Digit Symbol. Depressed patients demonstrated psychomotor slowing on both tasks, but normal response latency as a function of memory set size on the Sternberg procedure. While cognitive-behavioural slowing may be observed in both depressive illness and subcortical neurological disorders, a normal rate of processing information centrally appears to distinguish depression from certain of these disorders. Psychomotor slowing in the presence of normal information processing speed might be explained by a deficit in motivational state associated with depression.
Hart
R P
RP
Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298.
Kwentus
J A
JA
D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*