Further evidence of attention bias for negative information in late life depression

✍ Scribed by Niall M. Broomfield; Rachel Davies; Kenneth MacMahon; Farah Ali; Susan M. B. Cross

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 96 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.1655

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Objectives

Pilot research using the manual (card based) emotional Stroop paradigm shows depressed elders selectively attend negative words, whereas dementia patients do not. The present study aimed to confirm this effect, using a more controlled, computerised, emotional Stroop paradigm, and accounting for co‐morbid anxiety.

Method

Nineteen depressed (DEP) and twenty non depressed control participants (CON) completed a computerised Emotional Stroop task. This task involves colour naming individually presented negative, positive and neutral words. Mean participant age was 72.25 years. All participants were free of significant cognitive impairment.

Results

Consistent with hypotheses, analysis of variance revealed a general cognitive slowing amongst DEP, and a specific interference effect for negative words, in this group, suggesting attention bias.

Conclusions

Previous pilot data are confirmed. The emotional Stroop paradigm may have clinical potential for distinguishing geriatric depression and dementia, although as yet this is far from clear. Detailed development work including comparison with depressed and non depressed Alzheimer's patients, will be necessary to demonstrate diagnostic validity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.