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Investigating the neural basis of cognitive control dysfunction in mood disorders
Author(s) -
Breukelaar Isabella A.,
Erlinger May,
Harris Anthony,
Boyce Philip,
Hazell Philip,
Grieve Stuart M.,
Antees Cassandra,
Foster Sheryl,
Gomes Lavier,
Williams Leanne M.,
Malhi Gin S.,
Korgaonkar Mayuresh S.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
bipolar disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.285
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1399-5618
pISSN - 1398-5647
DOI - 10.1111/bdi.12844
Subject(s) - cognition , working memory , impulsivity , major depressive disorder , psychology , default mode network , executive functions , prefrontal cortex , executive dysfunction , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , bipolar disorder , neuroscience , mood , functional magnetic resonance imaging , audiology , continuous performance task , psychiatry , medicine , neuropsychology
Objectives Dysfunction of cognitive control is a feature of both bipolar disorder (BP) and major depression (MDD) and persists through to remission. However, it is unknown whether these disorders are characterized by common or distinct disruptions of cognitive control function and its neural basis. We investigated this gap in knowledge in asymptomatic BP and MDD participants, interpreted within a framework of normative function. Methods Participants underwent fMRI scans engaging cognitive control through a working memory task and completed a cognitive battery evaluating performance across multiple subdomains of cognitive control, including attention, impulsivity, processing speed, executive function, and memory. Analysis was performed in two stages: (i) cognitive control‐related brain activation and deactivation were correlated with cognitive control performance in 115 healthy controls (HCs), then, (ii) significantly correlated regions from (i) were compared between 25 asymptomatic BP, 25 remitted MDD, and with 25 different HCs, matched for age and gender. Results Impulsivity and executive function performance were significantly worse in BP compared to both MDD and HCs. Both BP and MDD had significantly poorer memory performance compared to HCs. Greater deactivation of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) during the fMRI task was associated with better executive function in healthy controls. Significantly less deactivation in this region was present in both BP and MDD compared to HCs. Conclusions Failure to deactivate the MPFC, a key region of the default mode network, during working memory processing is a shared neural feature present in both bipolar and major depression and could be a source of common cognitive dysfunction.