title: Contextual recognition memory deficits in major depression are suppressed by cognitive support at encoding.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of cognitive support (an associative orienting instruction at encoding) on contextual memory in depressed patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients (age 20-40 years, 14 women) diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 22 healthy controls matched for age, gender and education completed a recognition memory task for item (object) and context (location), with or without an incidental binding cue at encoding. In addition, participants completed the vocabulary subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS III) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Salivary samples were collected at 7 AM, 4 PM and 10 PM on the day of testing for cortisol and DHEA level measurement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depressed patients showed a deficit in contextual memory in the absence of a binding cue but did not differ from healthy controls in item memory or when a binding cue was present. Cortisol and cortisol/DHEA ratios were lower in depressed patients compared to healthy controls and correlated with memory deficits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contextual memory deficits in MDD patients can be reduced by providing cognitive support at encoding.
authors: Neurobiology and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Biosciences, Pontifical Catholic University, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Márcio Silveira
authors: MS
authors: Corrêa
authors: Joana Bisol
authors: JB
authors: Balardin
authors: Marco Antônio Knob
authors: MA
authors: Caldieraro
authors: Marcelo Pio
authors: MP
authors: Fleck
authors: Irani
authors: I
authors: Argimon
authors: Clarice
authors: C
authors: Luz
authors: Elke
authors: E
authors: Bromberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology; D014825:Vocabulary
chemical_list: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone