Neuropsychological Correlates of Major Depression: A Short-term Follow-up

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Abstract
The present study investigated neuropsychological correlates of major depression and their course following treatment. We investigated 41 patients with major depression according to DSM-III-R criteria, who do not fulfil criteria of Alzheimer's disease, with a standardised clinical interview, different self- and observer-rating depression scales, and a comprehensive neuropsychological examination, and 27 subjects were reinvestigated 4.5 weeks after the first assessment. We found deficits in all cognitive domains with a predominant decline in tasks of cognitive flexibility and fluency. Patients who respond to antidepressive treatment showed a significant improvement in executive functions at the followup examination. Our data support the hypothesis that cognitive disorders in major depression may be associated with a frontostriatal dysfunction.