title: Depressive thoughts limit working memory capacity in dysphoria.
abstract: Dysphoria is associated with persistence of attention on mood-congruent information. Longer time attending to mood-congruent information for dysphoric individuals (DIs) detracts from goal-relevant information processing and should reduce working memory (WM) capacity. Study 1 showed that DIs and non-DIs have similar WM capacities. Study 2 embedded depressive information into a WM task. Compared to non-DIs, DIs showed significantly reduced WM capacity for goal-relevant information in this task. Study 3 replicated results from Studies 1 and 2, and further showed that DIs had a significantly greater association between processing speed and recall on the depressively modified WM task compared to non-DIs. The presence of inter-task depressive information leads to DI-related decreased WM capacity. Results suggest dysphoria-related WM capacity deficits when depressive thoughts are present. WM capacity deficits in the presence of depressive thoughts are a plausible mechanism to explain day-to-day memory and concentration difficulties associated with depressed mood.
authors.affiliation: a School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.affiliation: a School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Joanna L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hutchison
authors.affiliation: a School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Monroe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: c Department of Human Development and Family Studies , Michigan State University , East Lansing , MI , USA.
authors.forename: Janelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montroy
authors.affiliation: c Department of Human Development and Family Studies , Michigan State University , East Lansing , MI , USA.
authors.forename: Ryan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bowles
authors.affiliation: a School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences , University of Texas at Dallas , Richardson , TX , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rypma
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D011939:Mental Recall; D011930:Reaction Time
keywords: Attention; Depressed mood; Memory deficits; Processing speed; Working memory capacity