Alertness and Visuospatial Attention in Clinical Depression

Overview

Journal BMC Psychiatry

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2011 May 11

PMID 21554705

Citations 9

Authors

Lisa Schock

Michael Schwenzer

Walter Sturm

Klaus Mathiak

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Cognitive deficits are a substantial burden in clinical depression. The present study considered dysfunction in the right-hemispheric attention network in depression, examining alertness and visuospatial attention.

Methods: Three computerized visuospatial attention tests and an alertness test were administered to 16 depressive patients and 16 matched healthy controls.

Results: Although no significant group effect was observed, alertness predicted reduced visuospatial performance in the left hemifield. Furthermore, sad mood showed a trend towards predicting left visual field omissions.

Conclusions: Decreased alertness may lead to lower left hemifield visuospatial attention; this mechanism may be responsible for a spatial bias to the right side in depression, even though treatment of depression and anxiety may reduce this cognitive deficit.

Citing Articles

Attention impairment in patients with cervical dystonia: An attention network test study.

Xia K, Han Y, Zhou L, Hu S, Rao R, Shan S Front Psychol. 2022; 13:952567.

PMID: 35992456 PMC: 9386253. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.952567.

Symptom severity is associated with leftward lateralization upon contextual modulation of visual vertical in patients with schizophrenia.

Razzak A, Jahrami H, Husni M, Ali M, Bagust J Front Psychiatry. 2022; 13:948114.

PMID: 35923447 PMC: 9339704. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.948114.

Alterations Functional Connectivity in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Their Relationships With Cognitive Function: A Longitudinal Resting-State fMRI Study.

Qin L, Jiang W, Zheng J, Zhou X, Zhang Z, Liu J Front Neurol. 2020; 11:625.

PMID: 32793090 PMC: 7385240. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00625.

The role of chronotype in the interaction between the alerting and the executive control networks.

Martinez-Perez V, Palmero L, Campoy G, Fuentes L Sci Rep. 2020; 10(1):11901.

PMID: 32681046 PMC: 7368012. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68755-z.

Types of Anxiety and Depression: Theoretical Assumptions and Development of the Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire.

Fajkowska M, Domaradzka E, Wytykowska A Front Psychol. 2018; 8:2376.

PMID: 29410638 PMC: 5787098. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02376.

References

Liotti M, Sava D, Rizzolatti G, Caffarra P . Differential hemispheric asymmetries in depression and anxiety: a reaction-time study. Biol Psychiatry. 1991; 29(9):887-99. DOI: 10.1016/0006-3223(91)90055-q. View

Jewell G, McCourt M . Pseudoneglect: a review and meta-analysis of performance factors in line bisection tasks. Neuropsychologia. 2000; 38(1):93-110. DOI: 10.1016/s0028-3932(99)00045-7. View

Liotti M, Mayberg H . The role of functional neuroimaging in the neuropsychology of depression. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2001; 23(1):121-36. DOI: 10.1076/jcen.23.1.121.1223. View

Bartolomeo P, Chokron S . Orienting of attention in left unilateral neglect. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2002; 26(2):217-34. DOI: 10.1016/s0149-7634(01)00065-3. View

WATSON D, Clark L, Tellegen A . Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988; 54(6):1063-70. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1063. View

Sturm W, Schmenk B, Fimm B, Specht K, Weis S, Thron A . Spatial attention: more than intrinsic alerting?. Exp Brain Res. 2005; 171(1):16-25. DOI: 10.1007/s00221-005-0253-1. View

Ladavas E, Nicoletti R, Umilta C, Rizzolatti G . Right hemisphere interference during negative affect: a reaction time study. Neuropsychologia. 1984; 22(4):479-85. DOI: 10.1016/0028-3932(84)90042-3. View

Hamilton M . A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960; 23:56-62. PMC: 495331. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.23.1.56. View

Cavezian C, Danckert J, Lerond J, Dalery J, DAmato T, Saoud M . Visual-perceptual abilities in healthy controls, depressed patients, and schizophrenia patients. Brain Cogn. 2007; 64(3):257-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2007.03.008. View

10.

Kronfol Z, Hamsher K, Digre K, Waziri R . Depression and hemispheric functions: changes associated with unilateral ECT. Br J Psychiatry. 1978; 132:560-7. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.132.6.560. View

11.

Posner M . Orienting of attention. Q J Exp Psychol. 1980; 32(1):3-25. DOI: 10.1080/00335558008248231. View

12.

Fimm B, Zahn R, Mull M, Kemeny S, Buchwald F, Block F . Asymmetries of visual attention after circumscribed subcortical vascular lesions. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2001; 71(5):652-7. PMC: 1737615. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.71.5.652. View

13.

Thimm M, Fink G, Kust J, Karbe H, Sturm W . Impact of alertness training on spatial neglect: a behavioural and fMRI study. Neuropsychologia. 2005; 44(7):1230-46. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.09.008. View

14.

Hildebrandt H, Giesselmann H, Sachsenheimer W . Visual search and visual target detection in patients with infarctions of the left or right posterior or the right middle brain artery. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1999; 21(1):94-107. DOI: 10.1076/jcen.21.1.94.947. View

15.

Freeman R, Galaburda A, Cabal R, Geschwind N . The neurology of depression. Cognitive and behavioral deficits with focal findings in depression and resolution after electroconvulsive therapy. Arch Neurol. 1985; 42(3):289-91. DOI: 10.1001/archneur.1985.04060030111018. View

16.

Luaute J, Halligan P, Rode G, Rossetti Y, Boisson D . Visuo-spatial neglect: a systematic review of current interventions and their effectiveness. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2006; 30(7):961-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2006.03.001. View

17.

Robertson I, Mattingley J, Rorden C, Driver J . Phasic alerting of neglect patients overcomes their spatial deficit in visual awareness. Nature. 1998; 395(6698):169-72. DOI: 10.1038/25993. View

18.

Covinsky K, Yaffe K, Lindquist K, Cherkasova E, Yelin E, Blazer D . Depressive symptoms in middle age and the development of later-life functional limitations: the long-term effect of depressive symptoms. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010; 58(3):551-6. PMC: 2904810. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02723.x. View

19.

Grant M, Thase M, Sweeney J . Cognitive disturbance in outpatient depressed younger adults: evidence of modest impairment. Biol Psychiatry. 2001; 50(1):35-43. PMC: 3016517. DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(00)01072-6. View

20.

Liotti M, Tucker D . Right hemisphere sensitivity to arousal and depression. Brain Cogn. 1992; 18(2):138-51. DOI: 10.1016/0278-2626(92)90075-w. View