Reliance on external cues during serial sequential movement in major depression.
Maintenance of motor set in patients with unipolar major depression was examined. Twelve melancholic and 12 non-melancholic depressed patients and 24 age matched controls performed a serial choice reaction time task while external cues aiding maintenance of a motor set were systematically removed. Melancholic patients were significantly slower than controls with no reduction in external cues and with a moderate reduction in external cues. At a high level of reduction in external cues, seven of 12 melancholic patients (but only three of 12 non-melancholic patients and controls) were unable to complete the task; suggesting a greater reliance on external cues, perhaps implicating a failure of motor planning ability in melancholic patients. This, in turn, may point to a prefrontal (premotor) deficit in melancholic depression, with possible commonalities with Parkinson's disease.
Rogers
M A
MA
Neuropsychology Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia. mark.rogers@sci.monash.edu.au
Bradshaw
J L
JL
Phillips
J G
JG
Chiu
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018476:Hypokinesia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time