Prefrontal cortical dysfunction in depression determined by Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance.
OBJECTIVE
Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated reduced prefrontal cortical blood flow and metabolism in depression, but the neurobehavioral significance of these observations is not yet established.


METHODS
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a widely used neuropsychological index of prefrontal cortical function, was administered to 79 patients with major depression who had been unmedicated for at least 28 days, to 47 patients with schizophrenia who had never received antipsychotic medication, and to 61 healthy comparison subjects.


RESULTS
Depressed patients demonstrated significant deficits on multiple Wisconsin Card Sorting Test measures compared with healthy individuals. These deficits were correlated with the severity of depression and were less severe than those demonstrated by patients with schizophrenia.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide neuropsychological evidence for significant prefrontal cortical dysfunction in depression.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index