Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Hill, S. K. Articles by Sweeney, J. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Hill, S. K. Articles by Sweeney, J. A. Neuropsychology Depression Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Related Article

Neuropsychological Dysfunction in Antipsychotic-Naive First-Episode Unipolar Psychotic Depression

OBJECTIVE: The profile of neuropsychological impairment associated with unipolar psychotic depression remains unclear. The authors used a neuropsychological test battery to characterize the neuropsychiatric profile of patients with unipolar psychotic depression, relative to that of patients with nonpsychotic unipolar depression, patients with schizophrenia, and healthy comparison subjects. METHOD: Study subjects included antipsychotic-naive patients with a first episode of psychotic unipolar depression (N=20), antipsychotic-naive and unmedicated patients with nonpsychotic unipolar depression (N=14), antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia (N=86), and healthy volunteers (N=81). Groups were matched on age, sex, race, education, parental socioeconomic status, and estimated premorbid intelligence. Psychotic patients were followed clinically for 2 years to confirm diagnosis. All participants completed a standard neuropsychological battery, including tests of general intelligence, executive function, attention, verbal memory, motor skills, and visual-spatial perception. RESULTS: Patients with psychotic depression had a pattern of neuropsychological dysfunction that was similar to but less severe than that of patients with schizophrenia. In contrast, patients with nonpsychotic unipolar depression had a neuropsychological profile that was similar to that of healthy individuals but that included mild dysfunction on tests of attention. Neuropsychological test performance was generally independent of acute clinical symptoms, but some pairwise group differences were attenuated by covariation for symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: The similar neuropsychological profiles for schizophrenia and psychotic depression suggest that these psychotic disorders may have common pathophysiological features. The dramatic differences in performance between the patients with psychotic depression and those with nonpsychotic depression point to a marked distinction in neurocognitive function associated with the expression of psychosis in depressed patients.

Related Article:

In This Issue
Am J Psychiatry 2004 161: A66. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Bora, M. Yucel, and C. Pantelis Cognitive Impairment in Affective Psychoses: A Meta-analysis Schizophr Bull, September 18, 2009; (2009) sbp093v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. L. Barrett, C. C. Mulholland, S. J. Cooper, and T. M. Rushe Patterns of neurocognitive impairment in first-episode bipolar disorder and schizophrenia The British Journal of Psychiatry, July 1, 2009; 195(1): 67 - 72. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Desseilles, E. Balteau, V. Sterpenich, T. T. Dang-Vu, A. Darsaud, G. Vandewalle, G. Albouy, E. Salmon, F. Peters, C. Schmidt, et al. Abnormal Neural Filtering of Irrelevant Visual Information in Depression J. Neurosci., February 4, 2009; 29(5): 1395 - 1403. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. C. Leeson, T. R. E. Barnes, M. Harrison, E. Matheson, I. Harrison, S. H. Mutsatsa, M. A. Ron, and E. M. Joyce The Relationship Between IQ, Memory, Executive Function, and Processing Speed in Recent-Onset Psychosis: 1-Year Stability and Clinical Outcome Schizophr Bull, August 4, 2008; (2008) sbn100v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. K. Hill, M. S. H. Harris, E. S. Herbener, M. Pavuluri, and J. A. Sweeney Neurocognitive Allied Phenotypes for Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Schizophr Bull, July 1, 2008; 34(4): 743 - 759. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. K. Hill, J. L. Reilly, M. S. H. Harris, T. Khine, and J. A. Sweeney Oculomotor and Neuropsychological Effects of Antipsychotic Treatment for Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, May 1, 2008; 34(3): 494 - 506. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Keller, A. F. Schatzberg, and M. Maj Current Issues in the Classification of Psychotic Major Depression Schizophr Bull, July 1, 2007; 33(4): 877 - 885. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Halari, R. Mehrotra, T. Sharma, and V. Kumari Does Self-perceived Mood Predict More Variance in Cognitive Performance Than Clinician-Rated Symptoms in Schizophrenia? Schizophr Bull, October 1, 2006; 32(4): 751 - 757. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Arehart-Treichel Psychotic Depression May Be Relative of Schizophrenia Psychiatr News, June 18, 2004; 39(12): 29 - 29. [Full Text]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2004 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us