Executive function improvement upon remission of recurrent unipolar depression
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the improvement of executive function measures upon recovery from unipolar depression. Thirty patients who suffered from recurrent major unipolar depression were retested with regard to their executive function approximately two years after an initial baseline examination. At baseline, patients were depressed (average 17-item HAM-D score 21.8), at retesting they were partially or totally recovered (average HAM-D score 8.2). There was a significant positive association between improvement on the HAM-D and improvement of executive function. In those with complete recovery, overall executive function and most examined executive function measures were no longer different from the baseline performance of healthy controls (with the possible exception of semantic fluency and Stroop Colour-word). In conclusion, recovery from major unipolar depression was accompanied by a recovery of many aspects of executive function to a normal level. Our findings support previous studies that have shown that neuropsychological impairment associated with long-standing depressive symptomatology is reversible (i. e. state-related) in recurrent unipolar depression.
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These individuals often show overgeneral autobiographical memory, impaired attention regulation, and difficulty suppressing competing or irrelevant thoughts and mental sets.
“These individuals often exhibit overgeneral autobiographical memory (i.e. a difficulty in retrieving specific personal events), impairments in attention regulation, and difficulties suppressing competing or currently-irrelevant thoughts and mental sets, among other cognitive deficits (62–68).”
From Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Psychiatry (2018) · cites this paper as [68]
Recurrently depressed individuals have impaired cognitive functioning and diminished cognitive resources.
“Recurrently depressed individuals’ vulnerability to depressogenic cognition is additionally exacerbated by impaired cognitive functioning and diminished cognitive resources.”
From Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Psychiatry (2018) · cites this paper as [68]
There is also evidence suggesting that changes in cognitive function are associated with symptomatic improvement.
“there is also evidence suggesting that changes in cognitive function are associated with symptomatic improvement [15, 38, 39].”
A significant proportion of major depressive disorder patients continue to experience significant cognitive impairment despite conventional antidepressants.
“However, a significant proportion of MDD patients continue to experience significant cognitive impairment.”
From Cognitive remission: a novel objective for the treatment of major depression? (2016) · cites this paper as [17]
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References 56 · Cited by 138
- Authors
- Biringer, E., Lundervold, A., Stordal, K., Mykletun, A., Egeland, J., Bottlender, R., & Lund, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Sykehuset i Vestfold (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Biringer, E.
- Venue
- European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
- Published
- 2005-04-01
- Volume
- 255
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 373-380
- ISSN
- 0003-9373 (ISSN-L)
- 0940-1334
- 1433-8491
- OpenAlex
- W1997423129
- Cited by
- 138
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 2.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- executive function, recurrent unipolar depression, major depressive disorder, remission, recovery from depression, neuropsychological deficits, semantic fluency, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Depressive Disorder, Education, Female, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Intelligence Tests, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychomotor Performance, Recurrence
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