Establishing Neurocognitive Profiles of Major Depressive Disorder Subtypes

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) subtypes have been shown to differentially impact psychiatric symptom presentation, clinical features, and functional abilities. While there is extensive research regarding MDD subtypes and clinical characteristics, there has been limited information regarding the relationship between MDD subtypes and neurocognitive functioning. In particular, the neurocognitive impact of the treatment resistant depression (TRD), defined as MDD that is unresponsive to treatment, and psychotic depression, defined as a depressive episode with hallucinations and/or delusions, is unknown despite the significant illness burden these subtypes represent. The aim of this dissertation was to address this gap by characterizing the neurocognitive profiles of TRD and psychotic depression across multiple neurocognitive domains and compare the magnitude of impairment between the two. Data utilized were drawn from a broader NIMH-funded, randomized, controlled study conducted at the University of New Mexico that investigated the clinical and cognitive outcomes of varying pulse amplitudes during acute electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in adults with MDD. Participants in the study were age 50+ with a diagnosis of MDD, and further delineated by subtype as TRD and psychotic depression. For this analysis, we utilized demographic and baseline neurocognitive data collected prior to start of treatment. Neurocognitive measures included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Delis Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Verbal Fluency and Color-Word Interference Subtests, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R), and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 4th Edition (WAIS-IV) Digit Spans. Results reflected distinct neurocognitive profiles for the TRD and psychotic subtypes, with the psychotic depression group demonstrating a greater magnitude of impairment across neurocognitive domains. These findings suggest further research is warranted regarding the neurocognitive impact of MDD subtypes.

Author dc:creator

• Gregg, Allison Paige

Contributors dc:contributor

• McClintock, Shawn Michael
• Abbott, Christopher
• Hynan, Linda S.
• Greer, Tracy L.
• Rossetti, Heidi

• Cognitive Dysfunction
• Depressive Disorder, Major
• Neuropsychological Tests

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

1535537000

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utswmed-ir.tdl.org:2152.5/10708