Neuropsychological performance in partly remitted unipolar depressive patients: focus on executive functioning.
BACKGROUND
Only few studies have investigated executive impairment in the euthymic phase of unipolar affective disorders, yielding diverging results. The role of impulsivity/orbitofrontal associated executive functioning in remitted depression has not yet been examined.


METHODS
Partly remitted male out-patients (n = 15) with non-psychotic major depression (MDD) were compared with healthy males (n = 15) on several neuropsychological tests. Executive tasks focussed on orbitofrontal function (Go/No-Go, Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), delayed alternation task). Furthermore, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) was administered to all subjects.


RESULTS
Executive skills of the patients were largely unimpaired. Patients exhibited significant deficits on measures of verbal memory only. Residual depressive symptoms in patients were correlated with diminished response inhibition. BIS-11 scores were not elevated in the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Both executive impairment related to orbitofrontal function and self-reported impulsive behaviour in major depression seem to be state-dependent. In accordance with other studies, patients with remitted unipolar depression showed a persistent verbal memory loss.
Westheide
Jens
J
Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. jens.westheide@ukb.uni-bonn.de
Wagner
Michael
M
Quednow
Boris B
BB
Hoppe
Christian
C
Cooper-Mahkorn
Déirdre
D
Strater
Birgitta
B
Maier
Wolfgang
W
Kuhn
Kai-Uwe
KU
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D012008:Recurrence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric