Executive function and cardiac autonomic regulation in depressive disorders

Hoffmann, Alexandra; Ettinger, Ulrich; Paso, Gustavo A. Reyes del; Duschek, Stefan

doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2017.08.003

Cited by 31 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…Beneficial effects of positive affect on cognition have repeatedly been reported in healthy individuals, for example in terms of facilitation of attentional processing, problem solving and decision making ( Isen et al, 1987 ; Estrada et al, 1994 ; Isen, 2001 ; Rowe et al, 2007 ). Adverse effects of negative mood on performance are also well-known ( Brand et al, 2007 ; Mitchell and Phillips, 2007 ; Hoffmann et al, 2017 ). According to our correlation analysis, positive affect was far more closely related to cognition than negative affect; as such, the lack of positive affect in FMS may play a particular role in the cognitive impairments experienced by patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Impairments in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Associations With Positive and Negative Affect, Alexithymia, Pain Catastrophizing and Self-Esteem

2018

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Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain accompanied by symptoms like depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and fatigue. In addition, affected patients frequently report cognitive disruption such as forgetfulness, concentration difficulties or mental slowness. Though cognitive deficits in FMS have been confirmed in various studies, not much is known about the mechanisms involved in their origin. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of affect-related variables to cognitive impairments in FMS. For this purpose, 67 female FMS patients and 32 healthy control subjects completed a battery of cognitive tests measuring processing speed, attention, visuospatial and verbal memory, cognitive flexibility and planning abilities. In addition, participants completed self-report questionnaires pertaining to positive and negative affect, alexithymia, pain catastrophizing and self-esteem. Clinical characteristics including pain severity, symptoms of depression and anxiety, insomnia and fatigue were also assessed. FMS patients showed markedly poorer performance than healthy controls in all of the cognitive domains assessed, in addition to greater levels of depression, anxiety, negative affect, alexithymia and pain catastrophizing, and lower self-esteem and positive affect. In exploratory correlation analysis in the FMS sample, lower cognitive performance was associated with higher pain severity, depression, anxiety, negative affect, alexithymia and pain catastrophizing, as well as lower self-esteem and positive affect. However, in regression analyses, pain, self-esteem, alexithymia, and pain catastrophizing explained the largest portion of the variance in performance. While interference effects of clinical pain in cognition have been previously described, the present findings suggest that affective factors also substantially contribute to the genesis of cognitive impairments. They support the notion that affective disturbances form a crucial aspect of FMS pathology, whereas strategies aiming to improve emotional regulation may be a beneficial element of psychological therapy in the management of FMS.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Impairments in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Associations With Positive and Negative Affect, Alexithymia, Pain Catastrophizing and Self-Esteem

2018

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“…This is surprising insofar as it is well-known that both depression and anxiety disorders may be accompanied by executive function impairments [ 91 , 92 ]. Moreover, it is has been documented that in healthy individuals, aversive affective states may interfere with optimal executive function [ 93 , 94 ]. Nonetheless, the present result is in accordance with some earlier studies indicating that psychiatric comorbidity has relatively little impact on cognition in FMS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Executive function impairments in fibromyalgia syndrome: Relevance of clinical variables and body mass index

et al. 2018

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BackgroundSeveral investigations suggest the presence of deterioration of executive function in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The study quantified executive functions in patients with FMS. A wide array of functions was assessed, including updating, shifting and inhibition, as well as decision making and mental planning. Moreover, clinical variables were investigated as possible mediators of executive dysfunction, including pain severity, psychiatric comorbidity, medication and body mass index (BMI).MethodsFifty-two FMS patients and 32 healthy controls completed a battery of 14 neuropsychological tests. Clinical interviews were conducted and the McGill Pain Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Fatigue Severity Scale and Oviedo Quality of Sleep Questionnaire were presented.ResultsPatients performed poorer than controls on the Letter Number Sequencing, Arithmetic and Similarities subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Spatial Span subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale, an N-back task, a verbal fluency task, the Ruff Figural Fluency Test, the Inhibition score of the Stroop Test, the Inhibition and Shifting scores of the Five Digits Test, the Key Search Test and the Zoo Map Task. Moreover, patients exhibited less steep learning curves on the Iowa Gambling Task. Among clinical variables, BMI and pain severity explained the largest proportion of performance variance.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated impairments in executive functions of updating, shifting inhibition, decision making and planning in FMS. While the mediating role of pain in cognitive impairments in FMS had been previously established, the influence of BMI is a novel finding. Overweight and obesity should be considered by FMS researchers, and in the treatment of the condition.

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“…It is mediated through inhibitory vagal fibers to the sinus node, where vagal cardiac tone decreases during inspiration and increases during expiration (Berntson et al., 2016; Task Force, 1996). While low HF HRV has been repeatedly observed in MDD (Agelink, Boz, Ullrich, & Andrich, 2002; Rottenberg et al., 2007), recent studies also demonstrated reductions of HRV power in the low frequency (LF) range (Chang et al., 2017; Hoffmann, Ettinger, Reyes del Paso, & Duschek, 2017). Early theories regarded LF HRV as a marker of sympathetic control of heart rate (Malliani, Pagani, Lombardi, & Cerutti, 1991; Montano et al., 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The following main hypotheses were tested in the study: (a) Based on previous research, lower parasympathetic cardiac control (indexed by lower values of HF HR, LF HRV, and BRS) during cognition was predicted in MDD patients than healthy individuals (Hoffmann et al., 2017; Koschke et al., 2009). (b) Considering reports of inverse associations of depression symptoms with stress‐related modulations of heart rate and blood pressure, blunted cardiovascular reactivity to cognitive effort was expected in patients (Ehrenthal et al., 2010; Jin et al., 2015; Schwerdtfeger & Rosenkaimer, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Features of autonomic cardiovascular control during cognition in major depressive disorder

et al. 2020

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Major depressive disorder (MDD) severely affects patients' psychosocial function and quality of life and causes significant socioeconomic burden (Paykel, Brugha, & Fryers, 2005). The lifetime prevalence of MDD is estimated at 20%, with approximately two thirds of patients experiencing recurrent episodes or a chronic course (Kessler et al., 2010). The vast impact of the disorder on public health is reflected by its recognition as the major cause of disability worldwide (WHO, 2017). Abnormalities in autonomic nervous system activity are considered an important factor in

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Executive function and cardiac autonomic regulation in depressive disorders

Cited by 31 publications

References 88 publications

Cognitive Impairments in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Associations With Positive and Negative Affect, Alexithymia, Pain Catastrophizing and Self-Esteem

Cognitive Impairments in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Associations With Positive and Negative Affect, Alexithymia, Pain Catastrophizing and Self-Esteem

Executive function impairments in fibromyalgia syndrome: Relevance of clinical variables and body mass index

Features of autonomic cardiovascular control during cognition in major depressive disorder

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