Face Emotion Perception and Executive Functioning Deficits in Depression

Authors: Langenecker, Scott¹; Bieliauskas, Linas¹; Rapport, Lisa²; Zubieta, Jon-Kar¹; Wilde, Elisabeth³; Berent, Stanley¹

Source: Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (Neuropsychology, Developm, Volume 27, Number 3, April 2005 , pp. 320-333(14)

Publisher: Psychology Press, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

Frontal, limbic and temporal regions of the brain important in emotion perception and executive functioning also have been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of depression; yet, the relationships among these topics remain poorly understood. The present study evaluated emotion perception and executive functioning among 21 depressed women and 20 nondepressed women controls. Depressed women performed significantly worse than controls in emotion perception accuracy and in inhibitory control, an aspect of executive functioning, whereas the groups did not differ in other cognitive tests assessing memory, visual-spatial, motor, and attention skills. The findings suggest that emotion perception and executive functioning are disproportionately negatively affected relative to other cognitive functions, even in a high-functioning group of mildly depressed women. Measures of emotion perception and executive functioning may be of assistance in objectively measuring functional capability of the ventral and dorsal neural systems, respectively, as well as in the diagnosis of depression.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13803390490490515720

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 2: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA 3: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

Publication date: 2005-04-01

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