Executive functions and impulsivity in suicide attempter adolescents with major depressive disorder

Introduction: Inflammatory processes play an important role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), but their relevance for specific symptoms such as neurocognitive impairment is rarely investigated. Methods: In this observational study, we investigated the changes of leukocyte chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5) and ligand 5 (CCL5) mRNA levels and inflammatory cytokines in 60 MDD patients before (PRE) and after 5 weeks (W5) of antidepressive treatment in relation to therapy response and alterations in cognitive functions by means of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). We hypothesized that elevated CCR5 and CCL5 levels in depressed patients would decrease upon treatment and could differ with regard to cognitive impairment associated with MDD. Results: Both CCR5 and CCL5 levels were significantly decreased in the responder group compared to nonresponders even before treatment. The cytokine IL-6 as a marker of inflammation in depression did not show a difference before treatment in future responders versus nonresponders, but decreased significantly upon antidepressive therapy. Regarding neurocognitive impairment in MDD patients, an increased misperception of the emotion “anger” after 5 weeks of treatment proved to be associated with a more pronounced change in CCR5, and the perception of the emotion “disgust” became faster along with a stronger decrease in CCL5 over the same time. Executive functions typically impaired in MDD patients were not markedly associated with alterations in CCR5/CCL5. Discussion: CCR5 and CCL5 are important in the targeting of immune cells by HIV. This is the first study providing valuable hints that both CCR5 and CCL5 might also serve as markers of therapy response prediction in MDD. Regarding neurocognitive impairment in depression, CCR5 and CCL5 did not reveal characteristic changes upon MDD treatment such as executive functions, which are probably delayed. However, changes of emotional perception appear to be an earlier responding feature.

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Emotional processing and executive functions in major depressive disorder: dorsal prefrontal activity correlates with performance in the intra–extra dimensional set shift

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1111/j.1601-5215.2010.00494.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 269-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Alexander Heinzel ◽

Georg Northoff ◽

Heinz Boeker ◽

Peter Boesiger ◽

Simone Grimm

Keyword(s):

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Emotional Processing ◽

Cognitive Impairments ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Major Depressive ◽

The Right

Heinzel A, Northoff G, Boeker H, Boesiger P, Grimm S. Emotional processing and executive functions in major depressive disorder: dorsal prefrontal activity correlates with performance in the intra–extra dimensional set shift.Objective:Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterised by predominately negatively valenced emotional symptoms that are often accompanied by cognitive impairments. We posited that cognitive impairments in MDD are related to altered emotional processing in prefrontal cortex.Methods:We compared 20 medication-free patients with MDD and 29 matched healthy controls. Both groups performed an emotional task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Furthermore, they completed the intra–extra dimensional set shift (IED) test probing for cognitive impairments. Then we correlated the results of the IED with the changes in fMRI BOLD signal in MDD patients and healthy subjects.Results:The subcategory of the IED applying extradimensional shift (EDS) showed a divergent performance of the MDD group committing significantly more errors than the control group. Correlating the EDS errors with fMRI signal changes, the healthy subjects showed a positive correlation with the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the right orbitofrontal cortex. MDD subjects, in contrast, showed a positive correlation in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and a negative correlation in the left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC).Conclusion:We hypothesise that the differential correlation in healthy controls and MDD patients may reflect the use of different strategies in their performance. The impaired executive functions, as reflected by altered processing in right DLPFC and left DMPFC, may implicitly influence emotional processing in patients suffering from MDD.

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Examination and Comparison of Cognitive and Executive Functions in Clinically Stable Schizophrenia Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder

Depression Research and Treatment ◽

10.1155/2020/2543541 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Behrooz Afshari ◽

Nasrin Shiri ◽

Fatemeh Sadat Ghoreishi ◽

Mohtasham Valianpour

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Major Depressive Disorder ◽

Depressive Disorder ◽

Executive Functions ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Axis I ◽

Bipolar Patients ◽

Executive Dysfunctions

Background. Schizophrenia (SC), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) are associated with various cognitive and executive dysfunctions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare cognitive and executive dysfunctions in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Materials and Methods. Sixty-four schizophrenia patients, 68 bipolar patients, 62 patients with major depressive disorder, and 75 healthy individuals participated in the present study. All participants were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Trial Making Test (TMT), Four-Choice Reaction Time Task, Ruler Drop Method (RDM), Tower of London (TOL) task, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). Data were analyzed by chi-square, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and independent t -tests; ANOVA; and MANOVA. Results. In the cognitive function, the scores of SC, BD, and MDD patients were lower than those of healthy individuals. Also, the scores of MDD patients were lower than those of other patients, and the scores of BD patients were lower than those of SC patients. In the executive function, the scores of SC, BD, and MDD patients were lower than those of healthy individuals. Moreover, the scores of the MDD group were higher than those of the BD and SC groups, and the scores of the SC group were higher than those of the BD group. Conclusion. Patients with SC, BD, and MDD have poorer cognitive and executive functions than healthy individuals, even when these patients are in a stable state. Assessment of cognitive and executive functions in SC, BD, and MDD patients can help in understanding the pathology of these disorders.

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