Author(s):
Asfia Khaleel, Ajith Premnath, Rajmohan Velayudhan, Manoj Kumar G, Suni Muraleedharan, Raghuram TM
Abstract:
Background: Depression is considered to have a detrimental effect on social cognition. Earlier studies on social cognition had methodological issues and are difficult to perform in a clinical setting. Till date no Indian study has used the Cog- state battery, Social Emotion Cognition Task (SECT) a computer assisted test.
Aims and Objectives: To study social emotion cognition of depressed patients in comparison with age and gender matched healthy controls. We also aim to study the differences between genders and the effect of severity of illness.
Methodology: Seventy two patients with depression were included in the study along with 72 healthy controls. HAM-D and SECT test was administered. The data so obtained was uploaded onto the cog-state website and results of correct response, errors and speed of response were analyzed.
Results: There was a significant difference in the correct responses between cases and healthy controls (p<0.001). The correct responses and HAMD score showed a negative correlation (r=-0.48, p=0.00). HAMD score predicts SEC (B=-0.44, p=0.000). Age is associated with more severe depression and poorer SEC scores (r=-0.48, p=0.003).
Conclusion: This study showed that SEC was significantly impaired in patients with depression and gender is not a predictor of it. The severity of depression impaired SEC.
