Cited by 43Treatment of Major DepressionNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Cognitive control, reward-related decision making and outcomes of late-life depression treated with an antidepressant

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Alexopoulos, G. S., Manning, K., Kanellopoulos, D., McGovern, A., Seirup, J. K., Banerjee, S., Gunning, F.·2015·Psychological Medicine

Abstract

Background.: Executive processes consist of at least two sets of functions: one concerned with cognitive control and the other with reward-related decision making. Abnormal performance in both sets occurs in late-life depression. This study tested the hypothesis that only abnormal performance in cognitive control tasks predicts poor outcomes of late-life depression treated with escitalopram. Method.: We studied older subjects with major depression ( N = 53) and non-depressed subjects ( N = 30). Executive functions were tested with the Iowa Gambling Test (IGT), Stroop Color-Word Test, Tower of London (ToL), and Dementia Rating Scale – Initiation/Perseveration domain (DRS-IP). After a 2-week placebo washout, depressed subjects received escitalopram (target daily dose: 20 mg) for 12 weeks. Results.: There were no significant differences between depressed and non-depressed subjects on executive function tests. Hierarchical cluster analysis of depressed subjects identified a Cognitive Control cluster (abnormal Stroop, ToL, DRS-IP), a Reward-Related cluster (IGT), and an Executively Unimpaired cluster. Decline in depression was greater in the Executively Unimpaired ( t = −2.09, df = 331, p = 0.0375) and the Reward-Related ( t = −2.33, df = 331, p = 0.0202) clusters than the Cognitive Control cluster. The Executively Unimpaired cluster ( t = 2.17, df = 331, p = 0.03) and the Reward-Related cluster ( t = 2.03, df = 331, p = 0.0433) had a higher probability of remission than the Cognitive Control cluster. Conclusions.: Dysfunction of cognitive control functions, but not reward-related decision making, may influence the decline of symptoms and the probability of remission of late-life depression treated with escitalopram. If replicated, simple to administer cognitive control tests may be used to select depressed older patients at risk for poor outcomes to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors who may require structured psychotherapy.

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  • Positive functional outcomes of individuals with TRD are hampered by lingering neurocognitive dysfunction that decreases intervention efficacy and increases relapse.

    “Positive functional outcomes of individuals with TRD are hampered by lingering neurocognitive dysfunction that decreases intervention efficacy (Alexopoulos et al., 2015;Gonda et al., 2015;Story et al., 2008) and increases relapse (Alexopoulos, 2021;Gonda et al., 2015;Manning et al., 2015).”

    From Neurocognitive effects of theta burst stimulation for treatment-resistant depression in adults: A systematic review and recommendations for future research (2025) · cites this paper as Alexopoulos et al., 2015

    The Discussion (page not provided) reports that older adults with major depression who performed poorly on cognitive-control tasks had less symptom improvement and a lower probability of remission during 12 weeks of escitalopram treatment. This supports the intervention-efficacy portion of the citation, but the study does not establish that lingering dysfunction impairs functional outcomes in people with treatment-resistant depression. The sentence cites other papers, not Alexopoulos et al. (2015), for relapse. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • In older adults, executive functioning and neuroticism are separate factors that both raise risk for and maintain mood problems and cognitive decline.

    “Converging neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence indicates the cognitive process of executive functioning and the personality trait of neuroticism each individually and independently predispose and perpetuate mood disturbance and cognitive decline in older adults9–12.”
  • Scores on these tests are linked to structural and functional abnormalities in cognitive control areas including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsal and rostral anterior cingulate, and parietal association cortex.

    “Performance on these tests correlates with structural and functional abnormalities in cognitive control regions, namely the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the dorsal and rostral regions of the anterior cingulate, and parietal association regions10, 11.”
  • One earlier study reported no link between reward-related decision making and three-month antidepressant response in older depressed adults.

    “a prior study found no association between reward related decision making and antidepressant treatment response over three months in older adults with major depression (44).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Epping-Jordan JA Ustun TB The WHODAS-II: leveling the playing field for all disorders WHO Mental Health Bulletin 2000 6 5 6
  2. First MB Spitzer RL Williams JBW Gibbon M Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV - patient version (SCID-P) 1995 Washington American Psychiatric Press

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Authors
Alexopoulos, G. S., Manning, K., Kanellopoulos, D., McGovern, A., Seirup, J. K., Banerjee, S., & Gunning, F.
Affiliations
  • Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
  • UConn Health (US)
Corresponding author
Alexopoulos, G. S.
Venue
Psychological Medicine
Published
2015-07-14
Volume
45
Issue
14
Pages
3111-3120
ISSN
  • 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8978
OpenAlex
W2123297362
Cited by
43
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3
FWCI
2.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH079414, R01MH097735, R01MH065653, R01MH102252, T32MH019132)
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
geriatric depression, cognitive control, executive function, escitalopram, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, treatment outcome prediction, depression remission, older adults, Stroop task, Tower of London, Mattis Dementia Rating Scale
MeSH terms
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Antidepressive Agents, Anxiety, Cognition, Decision Making, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, London, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychotherapy, Reward, Citalopram, Treatment Outcome, Executive Function

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