Verbal Memory Functions in Unipolar Major Depression With and Without Co-Morbid Anxiety

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine both executive control of verbal working memory and verbal learning as well as long-term storage function in outpatients with major depressive disorder (n = 61) compared to healthy controls (n = 92). A total of 37 patients had no co-morbid anxiety disorder, whereas 24 had a co-morbid anxiety disorder. Both patient groups showed impaired working memory test performance compared to healthy controls. Patients with co-morbid depression and anxiety disorder performed significantly below the depression group. Only patients with depression and co-morbid anxiety displayed deficient long-term memory function compared to healthy controls. The present results show impairments in various memory functions in patients presenting depression and depression with co-morbid anxiety disorder.

Keywords:

• Unipolar major depression
• Co-morbid anxiety disorder
• Verbal memory
• Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test
• PASAT
• The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised
• HVLT-R

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, to Pia Lyche and a grant from the Research Council of Norway to Nils Inge Landrø.

We wish to thank research assistants Martin Aker, Anne Marie Hoel, Aleksander Olsen, and Monika Rutle for assisting us with the data collection. We also thank Jan Egil Nordvik and Marcus Sneve Handal.