Auditory-verbal declarative and operating memory among patients suffering from depressive disorders - preliminary...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Depressive disorders (DD) are linked to impaired auditory-verbal declarative and working memory.
• Understanding the impact of treatment on these cognitive functions is crucial for patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if antidepressant therapy enhances cognitive functions in patients with DD.
• To explore the relationship between pre-treatment memory performance and post-treatment remission.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 87 participants: 30 with DD and 57 healthy controls (CG).
• Cognitive assessments included the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and the Stroop Test.
• Evaluations were conducted at the start of therapy (DD-I) and after eight weeks (DD-II).

Main Results:

• Healthy controls outperformed patients with DD on both tests at baseline and after treatment.
• Patients showed some improvement in specific tasks (NCWd/errors) after eight weeks of therapy.
• No significant differences in cognitive performance were found between patients with and without remission.
• No significant correlation was observed between pre-treatment cognitive functions and post-treatment depression severity (HDRS).

Conclusions:

• Depressive disorders are associated with deficits in auditory-verbal declarative and working memory.
• Eight weeks of antidepressant therapy did not lead to significant improvements in these memory functions.
• Pre-treatment cognitive performance does not appear to influence treatment outcomes in terms of depression symptom intensity.