The Relation Between Frontal Brain Activation During Executive Performance and Daily Life Functioning in People With Major Depressive Disorder

Minnen, Janke van (2024) The Relation Between Frontal Brain Activation During Executive Performance and Daily Life Functioning in People With Major Depressive Disorder. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Introduction: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with impairments in executive functions and alterations in activation of the prefrontal cortex. However, few neuroimaging studies have examined the relation of these impairments to daily life functioning, in which executive functioning plays a crucial role. This study aims to shed light on the relation between frontal brain activation during executive performance and daily life functioning in people with MDD. Method: A parametric Tower of London task was administered to outpatients with MDD (N = 58) while they underwent functional MRI. Results: Results did not indicate a significant relations between daily functioning and executive performance. However, there was a significant relation between executive performance (as measured by accuracy) and brain activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, associative visual cortex, and somatosensory association cortex, while reaction times showed no significant relation with brain activation. In addition, there was a relation between daily life functioning (as measured by WHO-DAS II) scores and brain activation, specifically in the somatosensory association cortex, while this relation was not observed with the CFQ. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings indicate that higher executive performance (as measured by accuracy) is related with increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, associative visual cortex, and somatosensory association cortex as task load increases. Furthermore, greater difficulties in daily life functioning (as measured by WHO-DAS II) appear to be related with increased activation in the somatosensory association cortex as task load increases.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Tol, M.J. van and Viersen, M.R.G. and Kleef, R.S. van
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	08 Aug 2024 06:11
Last Modified:	08 Aug 2024 06:11
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4243

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