Citation

Vallesi A, Canalaz F, Balestrieri M, Brambilla P. J. Psychiatr. Res. 2014; 60: 103-108.

Affiliation

Department of Experimental & Clinical Medicine (DISM), Inter-University Center for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Udine, Udine, Italy; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, TX, USA; IRCCS 'E. Medea', Scientific Institute, Udine, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.09.017

PMID

25294698

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Depression is associated with deficits in cognitive flexibility. The role of general slowing in modulating more specific cognitive deficits is however unclear.

AIM: We assessed how depression affects the capacity to strategically adapt behavior between harsh and prudent response modalities and how general and specific processes may contribute to performance deficits.

METHODS: Patients suffering from major depression and age- and education-matched healthy controls were asked to randomly stress either speed or accuracy during perceptual decision-making.

RESULTS: Diffusion models showed that patients with depression kept using a less conservative strategy after a trial with speed vs. accuracy instructions. Additionally, the depression group showed a slower rate of evidence accumulation as indicated by a generally lower drift rate.

CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that less efficient strategic regulation of behavior in depression is due not only to general slowing, but also to more specific deficits, such as a rigid dependence on past contextual instructions. Future studies should investigate the neuro-anatomical basis of this deficit.

Language: en