title: Executive performance of depressed suicide attempters: the role of suicidal ideation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Suicidal ideation has been related to cognitive rigidity whereas suicidal behaviour itself was associated with specific executive deficits. Yet it remains unclear if a distinct cognitive suicidal phenotype does exist. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the role of suicidal thinking for the neuropsychological performance in depressive suicide attempters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Depressive inpatients after a recent suicide attempt, who either had present suicidal ideation (n=14) or not (n=15) and healthy controls (n=29) were recruited. The groups were assessed by means of executive tasks designed to capture impulsive decision-making, and with verbal memory and attention tests. Self-rating measures of impulsivity and aggression were further applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only patients with current suicidal ideation showed executive dysfunctions with impaired decision-making being the most salient. Verbal memory and attention were reasonably intact in all patients. All patients reported increased aggression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suicidal ideation is clearly associated with impaired cognitive performance. Our results suggest that executive deficits seen in depressive suicide attempters have a state-dependent component.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. jens.westheide@ukb.uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westheide
authors.forename: Boris B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Quednow
authors.forename: Kai-Uwe
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: Déirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cooper-Mahkorn
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hawellek
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eichler
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult