Impaired declarative memory in depressed patients is slow to recover: clinical experience

Abstract

Introduction: The temporal course of recovery of depressed patients' cognitive impairment is not fully understood.

Methods: We used the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) to test declarative memory in 24 depressed patients before and after 35 days of antidepressive treatment as well as after long-term follow-up (> 12 months) in order to relate improvement of depression to recovery of cognitive impairment.

Results: Patients with complete remission after 35 days had generally been less impaired at baseline. The disturbance of declarative memory in treatment responders as well as in non-responders did not change from baseline to end of treatment (day 35). However, our results revealed normal values in the CVLT sum score as well as in measures of short- and long-delay free-recall measures in both groups after long-term full remission.

Discussion: We conclude that clinical response to antidepressive treatment precedes improvement of declarative memory. A low degree of impairment of declarative memory is associated with early complete remission of depression.