title: An fMRI study of prefrontal brain activation during multiple tasks in patients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous research has provided conflicting information regarding the pattern of brain activation associated with cognitive performance in depressed people. We aimed to assess brain activation related to cognitive performance during planning and working memory tasks.
  
  
  METHODS
  fMRI scans were conducted using a modified Tower of London task and a 2-back task in 13 patients with major depressive disorder and a matched control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Task performance was impaired in the depressed group on the Tower of London task but there were no differences between the groups in task performance on the n-back task. The patient group showed widespread increased brain activation in both tasks. There was considerable overlap in increased activation between the two tasks, especially in right prefrontal cortical regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with depression exhibit increased brain activation, especially in right prefrontal regions, across several types of cognitive task activity. Patients with depression may recruit greater brain regions to achieve similar or even poorer task performance than control subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. paul.fitzgerald@med.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Anusha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Srithiran
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benitez
authors.forename: Zafiris Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Daskalakis
authors.forename: Tom J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Oxley
authors.forename: Jayashri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: Gary F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Egan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*