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Is the cognitive dysfunction in depression caused by hypercortisolemia? Does it go away when depression remits? To address these questions, German investigators studied 75 inpatients with major depressive disorder and assessed their cognitive function — speed of information processing, working and short-term verbal memory, selective and divided attention — as well as their cortisol response to dexamethasone and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH).
Even though depression remitted in 68% of patients during hospitalization, a high number of patients remained impaired. At admission, the proportion of patients with impairment ranged from 27% (selective attention) to 45% (divided attention); at discharge, the range was 16% (selective attention) …