Executive functioning in offspring at risk for depression and anxiety

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Child Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Executive functioning deficits (EFDs) are observed in adults with major depression and anxiety disorders.
• It remains unclear if EFDs precede disorder onset or are acute symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether EFDs characterize children at high risk for depression and anxiety who are not yet symptomatic.
• To determine if EFDs are trait markers or symptomatic of current disorders in at-risk youth.

Main Methods:

• Neuropsychological functioning was assessed in 147 children (ages 6-17).
• Participants included children of parents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and/or panic disorder (PD), and controls.
• Children underwent structured diagnostic interviews and neuropsychological assessments.

Main Results:

• Parental MDD and PD were not linked to neuropsychological impairments in offspring.
• Current MDD in offspring correlated with poorer executive functioning and processing speed.
• Generalized anxiety was associated with poorer verbal memory; social phobia with increased omissions on a continuous performance task.

Conclusions:

• EFDs do not appear to be trait markers for the development of anxiety or depression.
• EFDs seem to be symptomatic of current mental health disorders in children.