Application of computerized cognitive test battery in major depressive disorder: a narrative literature review

Abstract

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic and debilitating relapsing-remitting mood disorder, characterized by psychological, cognitive, and behavioral disturbances. The assessment of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with MDD has increasingly become a topic of concern in recent years.

Aims

To pool and compare the characteristics of various cognition evaluation tools.

Method

Overview of recent research in application of computerized cognitive test battery in MDD.

Results

With recent technological advances in mobile health technologies and the ubiquity of smartphones, the use of traditional tools is no longer sufficient to monitor the dynamic changes of an individual’s cognitive performance, which may be influenced by many factors, including, but not limited to, disease course and medications. Computerized tests have many advantages over traditional neuropsychological testing, chiefly in terms of time and cost savings, accurate recording of multiple response components, and the ability to automatically store and compare performance between testing sessions. In the following review, we summarized cognitive impairment characteristics of MDD, introduced traditional assessment tools of cognitive function in MDD, and reviewed the development of the current computerized cognitive test batteries for MDD. The comparisons among cognitive function evaluation tools were also performed.

Conclusions

It is our belief that the improvement of existing novel computerized cognitive test batteries, the development of more comprehensive and easy-to-operate scales, verification techniques and multiple follow-up surveys among large sample populations may provide valuable clues for the evaluation and tracking of cognitive function in individuals with MDD.

Keywords:

• Major depressive disorder
• cognitive function
• assessment
• computerized
• depression

Ethical approval

Formal ethical approval is not required by the National Ethical Review Board in China as primary data will not be collected with the review. Data from previously published studies will be retrieved and analyzed.

Disclosure statement

Dr. Roger McIntyre has received research grant support from CIHR/GACD/Chinese National Natural Research Foundation; speaker/consultation fees from Lundbeck, Janssen, Purdue, Pfizer, Otsuka, Takeda, Neurocrine, Sunovion, Bausch Health, Novo Nordisk, Kris, Sanofi, Eisai, Intra-Cellular, NewBridge Pharmaceuticals, Abbvie. Dr. Roger McIntyre is a CEO of Braxia Scientific Corp.

Author contributions

Cao B and Chen H conceived and designed the study; Xiao MY and Chen XM collected the data; McIntyre RS, Pan ZH, Zhao YX and Cao B contributed to the discussion; all authors revised the paper and approved the final version of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was sponsored by the Chongqing Social Science Fund [2019BS086] and PhD Research Startup Fund of Southwest University [SWU019039]. The funding agents had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Notes on contributors

Bing Cao

Dr. Bing Cao is an Associate Professor of Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology at Southwest University and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education at Southwest University.

Mingyue Xiao

Ms. Mingyue Xiao is a PhD Candidate of Faculty of Psychology at Southwest University.

Ximei Chen

Ms. Ximei Chen is a PhD Candidate of Faculty of Psychology at Southwest University.

Yuxiao Zhao

Ms. Yuxiao Zhao is a Bachelor Candidate of Faculty of Psychology at Southwest University.

Zihang Pan

Mr. Zihang Pan is a MD Candidate of Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.

Roger S. McIntyre

Dr. Roger McIntyre is currently a Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto and Head of the Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit at the University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.

Hong Chen

Prof. Hong Chen is currently a Professor and the Head of the Faculty of Psychology at Southwest University and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education at Southwest University.