Affective Disorders - Depressive Episode - Cognitive Symptoms - Models of Depression

7 important questions on Affective Disorders - Depressive Episode - Cognitive Symptoms - Models of Depression

What cognitive dysfunctions occur in depression?

- Attention is compromised
in complex and effortful processing
- psychomotor speed
slowing down in melancholic depression
 
MEMORY
- acquisition more affected than retrieval (likely because of altered attention)
- recognition memory for visual information affected

What factors mediate cognitive dysfunctioning in Depression?

AGE OF ONSET
- Dep. in young adulthood = CD in attention learning. recall pharmacoltherapy efficient
- late onset dep. = often underlying degenerative or cerebrovascular neurological process
 
SEVERITY
- bipolar Dep. more severe CD than unipolar
- inpatient psychiatry ward more CD than outpatient
 
EFFORT
-

What executive functions are compromised in Depression?

- Set-shifting
- planning
- inhibition
- working memory
- fluency (verbal)
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Understanding Cog Dys in Depression. Explain.

- changes in NE, D, glutamate and GABA in cortical region = depressed mood, CD, anhedonia and apathy 
- dysfunctional transmission of DA and NE in the PFC can impair - concentration an decisiveness
 
- anxiety guilt and negative emotions = influenced by SEergic activity in the limbic system + lack of glutamate reuptake or metabolism in amygdala

Genetic and Environmental factors

- Role of genes has been re-evaluated
heritability estimates from 31 to 42%
 
- Gene environment interaction
the impact of env. factors on the risk for major depression is greater for individuals at high genetic risk than for those at low genetic risk

3x data for NT hypothesis

1. 3cyclics antidepressants block NT reuptake and increase NT at noradrenergic and serotonergic synapses 
2. MAOI's increase availibity of monoamine NT in synaptic cleft
 
3. depressive sympt are observed after reserpine treatment = depletes biogenic amines in synapse

Serotonin Hypothesis in Depression

unavailibility of SE = depression 
Prozac blocks SE reuptake

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