Neuropsychological aspects of primary affective depression

This study compared the neuropsychological functioning of 50 primary affective depressives and a like number of normals on the complete Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery. Psychiatric diagnosis was based on Research Diagnostic Criteria. Comparison of the Wechsler subtests seen to measure right and left hemispheric functioning revealed a relative deficit for depressives on those tasks shown to be most sensitive to right hemispheric functioning. Profile similarities (rp) between groups on the combined Wechsler and Halstead-Reitan variables indicated normal similarity on left hemispheric tests and a significant dissimilarity on right hemispheric measures. Impairment ratings for each Halstead-Reitan measure indicated that depressives were significantly impaired when compared to normals on right hemispheric tasks, while they were within normal limits and did not differ from normals on left hemisphere impairment ratings. The potential of neuropsychological measures as diagnostic markers of psychiatric illness was examined.