Sustained Engagement of Attention is Associated with Increased Negative Self-referent Processing in Major Depressive Disorder

Date

2017-10

Authors

Dainer-Best, Justin
Trujillo, Logan
Schnyer, David
Beevers, Christopher G.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

Abstract

This study investigated the link between self-reference and attentional engagement in adults with (n=22) and without (HC; n=24) Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants completed the Self-Referent Encoding Task (SRET). MDD participants endorsed significantly fewer positive words and more negative words as self-descriptive than HC participants. A whole-scalp data analysis technique revealed that the MDD participants had larger difference wave (negative words minus positive words) ERP amplitudes from 380 to 1000ms across posterior sites, which positively correlated with number of negative words endorsed. No group differences were observed for earlier attentional components (P1, P2). The results suggest that among adults with MDD, negative stimuli capture attention during later information processing; this engagement is associated with greater self-referent endorsement of negative adjectives. Sustained cognitive engagement for self-referent negative stimuli may be an important target for neurocognitive depression interventions.

Description

Keywords

ERP, LPP, major depressive disorder, psychophysiology, cognitive bias, Psychology

Citation

Dainer-Best, J., Trujillo, L. T., Schnyer, D. M., & Beevers, C. G. (2017). Sustained engagement of attention is associated with increased negative self-referent processing in major depressive disorder. Biological Psychology, 129, pp. 231–241.

Rights

Rights Holder

Rights License

Rights URI