Association of Cognitive Function With Event-Related Potentials and Immune Inflammation in Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate cognitive function changes in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and examine their associations with depression severity, event-related potentials (ERP), T lymphocyte subsets, and inflammatory cytokines to identify exploratory clinical and biological correlates for cognitive impairment in this population.

METHODS

We enrolled 89 adolescent patients with MDD and 30 healthy controls, matched for age and gender. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), depression severity with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD17), and anxiety with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. ERP were recorded, and blood samples were analyzed for T lymphocyte subsets and inflammatory cytokines.

RESULTS

Adolescents with MDD exhibited significantly lower MoCA scores, indicating cognitive impairment, particularly in attention, delayed recall, and executive function. ERP component analysis showed prolonged latencies and decreased amplitudes in the MDD group. Increased serum concentrations of interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6, and elevated percentages of CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ cells were observed in the depressive group, with positive correlations between CD3+ cells and MoCA scores and between CD3+CD8+ cells and HAMD17 scores.

CONCLUSION

Adolescents with MDD showed lower cognitive performance, which was associated with depression severity and immune-inflammatory indicators.