Abstract
METHODS: Patients suffering from major depression and age- and education-matched healthy controls were asked to randomly stress either speed or accuracy during perceptual decision-making.
RESULTS: Diffusion models showed that patients with depression kept using a less conservative strategy after a trial with speed vs. accuracy instructions. Additionally, the depression group showed a slower rate of evidence accumulation as indicated by a generally lower drift rate.
CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that less efficient strategic regulation of behavior in depression is due not only to general slowing, but also to more specific deficits, such as a rigid dependence on past contextual instructions. Future studies should investigate the neuro-anatomical basis of this deficit.
BACKGROUND: Depression is associated with deficits in cognitive flexibility. The role of general slowing in modulating more specific cognitive deficits is however unclear.
AIM: We assessed how depression affects the capacity to strategically adapt behavior between harsh and prudent response modalities and how general and specific processes may contribute to performance deficits.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 103-108 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Psychiatric Research |
Volume | 60 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Depression
- Diffusion models
- Executive functions
- Flexibility
- Perceptual decision-making
- Speed-accuracy trade off
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)