title: Cognitive markers of psychotic unipolar depression: a meta-analytic study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of the current meta-analysis was to review and examine in detail the features of cognitive performance in psychotic (MDDP) versus non-psychotic (MDD) major depressive disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  An electronic literature search was performed to find studies comparing cognitive performance in MDDP versus MDD. A meta-analysis of broad cognitive domains (processing speed, reasoning/problem solving, verbal learning, visual learning, attention/working memory) and individual cognitive tasks was conducted on all included studies (n=12). Demographic and clinical features were investigated via meta-regression analysis as moderators of cognitive performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No difference in socio-demographic and clinical variables was detected between groups. In general, a poorer cognitive performance was detected in MDDP versus MDD subjects (ES=0.38), with a greater effect size in drug-free patients (ES=0.69). MDDP patients were more impaired in verbal learning (ES=0.67), visual learning (ES=0.62) and processing speed (ES=0.71) tasks. A significantly poorer performance was also detected in MDDP patients for individual tasks as Trail Making Test A, WAIS-R digit span backward and WAIS-R digit symbol. Age resulted to have a negative effect on tasks involved in working memory performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In line with previous meta-analyses, our findings seem to support an association between psychosis and cognitive deficits in the context of affective disorders. Psychosis during the course of MDD is associated with poorer cognitive performance in some specific cognitive domains, such as visual and verbal learning and executive functions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Neuro-Motor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zaninotto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guglielmo
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1061, University of Montpellier, FondaMental Foundation, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calati
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy; Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ioime
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Camardese
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Janiri
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bria
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Neuro-Motor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: alessandro.serretti@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serretti
mesh_terms: D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D058068:Endophenotypes; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Affective psychosis; Cognition; Depression; Neuropsychology; Psychosis