Depression and Cognitive Control across the Lifespan: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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Depression has been shown to negatively impact neurocognitive functions, particularly those governed by fronto-subcortical networks, such as executive functions. Converging evidence suggests that depression-related executive dysfunction is greater at older ages, however, this has not been previously confirmed by meta-analysis. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, using three-level models, on peer-reviewed studies that examined depression-related differences in cognitive control in healthy community-dwelling individuals of any age. We focused on studies of cognitive control as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, which centers on goal-directed behavior, such as goal selection (updating, representations, maintenance), response selection (inhibition or suppression), and performance monitoring. In 16,806 participants aged 7 to 97 across 76 studies, both clinical depression and subthreshold depressive symptoms were associated with cognitive control deficits (Hedges' g = -0.31). This relationship was stronger in study samples with an older mean age. Within studies with a mean age of 39 years or higher, which represents the median age in our analyses, the relationship was stronger in clinical compared to subthreshold depression and in individuals taking antidepressant medication. These findings highlight the importance of clinicians screening for cognitive control dysfunction in patients with depression, particularly in later stages of adulthood.
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Subclinical symptoms are associated with neurobiological and cognitive abnormalities.
“associated with neurobiological and cognitive abnormalities [15–18]”
From Efficacy of a transdiagnostic Internet prevention approach in adolescents (EMPATIA study): study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (2024) · cites this paper as [17]
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“This issue is particularly important because depressive symptoms, including subthreshold symptoms, have been associated with poorer cognitive control, while depression more broadly may affect attention, processing speed, executive functioning, and memory [28,29].”
- Authors
- Dotson, V. M., McClintock, S. M., Verhaeghen, P., Kim, J. U., Draheim, A. A., Syzmkowicz, S. M., Gradone, A. M., Bogoian, H. R., & Wit, L. D.
- Affiliations
- Georgia State University (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- University of Nebraska Medical Center (US)
- University of Florida Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Dotson, Vonetta M.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Neuropsychology Review
- Published
- 2020-05-08
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 461-476
- ISSN
- 1040-7308 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-6660
- PMC
- PMC9637269
- OpenAlex
- W3022076523
- Cited by
- 173
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 35 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 5
- FWCI
- 2.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Neuropsychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Georgia State University (Brains & Behavior Graduate Fellowship)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Keywords
- depression, cognitive control, executive function, executive dysfunction, lifespan development, aging, subthreshold depression, major depressive disorder, antidepressants, response inhibition, performance monitoring, goal-directed behavior, Research Domain Criteria
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Cognition, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Longevity, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Young Adult, Executive Function, Cognitive Dysfunction
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