Table I.
Demographical, clinical, and neuropsychological characteristics of the MDD patients and the healthy controls
| Depressed (N = 20) | Recovered (N = 20) | Healthy (N = 20) | Group effecta (P) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 34.1 (11.6) | 35.8 (11.7) | 37.3 (12.7) | 0.71 |
| sex (male/female) | 7/13 | 6/14 | 7/13 | 0.92b |
| Handedness (left/right) | 0/20 | 1/19 | 1/19 | 0.64b |
| Educational level (1–5)c | 3.75 (0.85) | 3.60 (0.60) | 3.95 (0.69) | 0.40b |
| HDRS 17‐item score | 21.08 (4.03) | 3.40 (2.04) | — | <0.001 d |
| STAI | ||||
| State | 43.6 (9.0) | 36.0 (7.2) | 33.8 (8.2) | 0.001 |
| Trait | 53.3 (12.4) | 43.7 (9.1) | 31.7 (7.3) | <0.001 |
| Age at onset (yr) | 33.7 (11.4) | 33.4 (11.5) | — | 0.85d |
| Duration episode (mo) | 7.1 (5.5) | 21.6 (14.3) | — | <0.001 d |
| Duration since onset (mo) | 7.1 (5.5) | 33.7 (17.3) | — | <0.001 d |
| Medication use (number/all)e | — | 18/20 | — | |
| Duration medication use (mo) | — | 16.7 (11.7) | — | |
| DART‐IQ | 93.45 (13.70) | 100.05 (8.08) | 100.40 (17.38) | 0.20 |
| Episodic memory | ||||
| AVLT | ||||
| Immediate recall (no) | 50.95 (10.15) | 52.75 (8.77) | 49.45 (7.78) | 0.51 |
| Delayed recall (no) | 10.9 (3.1) | 11.1 (2.25) | 10.9 (2.2) | 0.96 |
| Complex figure task | 22.73 (5.5) | 21.78 (6.12) | 23.05 (4.77) | 0.75 |
| Attention and psychomotor speed | ||||
| TMT, test A (s) | 30.75 (11.07) | 26.20 (6.65) | 28.95 (6.47) | 0.23 |
| DSST, completed (no) | 62.00 (9.62) | 64.20 (8.49) | 59.00 (8.90) | 0.20 |
| Executive function | ||||
| WCST | ||||
| Categories completed, no | 5.0 (1.9) | 5.1 (1.7) | 5.8 (0.9) | 0.23 |
| Perseverative errors, no | 14.4 (15.5) | 16.3 (13.2) | 9.4 (9.6) | 0.26 |
| TMT, interference (%) | 52.6 (43.4) | 54.1 (56.5) | 50.5 (33.0) | 0.97 |
Data are expressed as mean (SD).
Bold values imply significant group differences.
AVLT, Dutch modified version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test; CFT, Rey‐Osterrieth Complex; Figure Test; DART, Dutch version of the National Adult Reading Test; DSST, Digit Symbol Substitution Test; HDRS, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; STAI, State Trait Anxiety Inventory; TMT, Trail Making Test; WCST, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.
One‐way ANOVA.
P value of likelihood ratio (categorical variables).
Educational level is coded level 1 to 5 (5=academic), according to the Dutch education system [Loozen and Post, 1991]
One‐way ANOVA with two groups only (=two‐sample t‐test).
Seventeen patients used SSRIs or SNRIs (sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, venlafaxine), 1 patient used SSRI (paroxetine) followed by TCA (amitryptiline).