| dc.description.abstract | Individuals with depression commonly complain about
cognitive deficits such as memory loss and poor decision
making ability (Lahr, Beblo, & Hartje, 2007). However,
despite considerable research, no single profile of cognitive
deficits in depression has emerged (Ravnkilde et al.,
2002). This may be a result of heterogeneity within the
diagnostic category of depression. While typically diagnosed
as a single disorder, the symptoms of depression
may stem from different neurobiological causes leading
to different profiles of cognitive deficits. Shenal, Harrison,
and Demaree (2003) theorised that subtypes of depression
could arise from dysfunctional brain activity in
each of the quadrants of the brain (right frontal, left
frontal, right posterior, and left posterior). For example,
reduced left frontal activity in depression may be associated
with impairments in tasks reliant on left frontal regions.
Little research has directly investigated the possible
link between variability in cognitive deficits and different
patterns of dysfunctional brain activity in depression.
The current paper reviews evidence for this link by
describing depressed individuals’ performance on lateralised
cognitive tasks, and discusses possibilities for future
research. | en |
