Veränderungen der exekutiven Funktionen in der Depression und der Einfluss ängstlicher Persönlichkeitsmerkmale auf elektrophysiologische Korrelate inhibitorischer Prozesse

In modern times, with its steady growth in the concurrently processed sensory input from the environment, the study of executive functions ensuring the cognitive flexibility of people is gaining increasing importance. Major depression, arguably one of the most relevant psychiatric diseases of our time, seems to be associated with an impairment of executive functions. Using the EEG-ERP method, this study examines the extent to which depressive patients display impairment of inhibition, a subtype of the executive functions, on the behavioral and neural level compared to healthy control subjects. Additionally, the influence the personality trait "anxiety" has on the executive control is explored. For this purpose, the inhibitory performance of the subjects was recorded using a Go/Nogo-paradigm and thereby arising event-related brain potentials were measured. Furthermore, the extent to which anxiety-related personality traits measured by the STAI questionnaire have a modulating effect on the performance and the neural response, respectively, of the test subjects is evaluated. This study shows that depressed patients have a weaker level of behavioral inhibitory control. The evaluation of ERP data of depressed patients shows a lack of difference in latency between Go and Nogo conditions within the N2 timeframe. Within the P3 timeframe depressed patients displayed a lack of difference in amplitude between Go and Nogo conditions. These EKP changes can be classified as a neurophysiological correlate of deficient inhibition in depressed patients. A direct influence of anxious personality traits on the executive control could not be established in this study.