Psychomotor dysfunction in depression

Background: Psychomotor dysfunctions are core symptoms of major depressive disorders (MDD). These symptoms are often underestimated and not well described in clinical routine. In our study, we investigated psychomotor dysfunctions using objective measurements like actigraphy patients in comparison to healthy controls (HC). Correlations to typical clinical symptoms in depressive were calculated. Method: 20 patients with MDD (mean age: 51 ± 26) and 20 HC (mean age: 47 ± 23) were included. Psychomotor symptoms were measured using actigraphy and the Motor Agitation and Retardation Scale (MARS). Clinical rating scales were used to record the severity of depression (BDI and HDRS), cognitive functions (TMT A and B) and sleep quality (PSQI). Results: Patients with MDD showed significantly higher values in the MARS sumscore (p < 0.01). They showed a significantly lower daytime activity in actigraphy (p < 0.05). The MARS score was positively correlated with the severity of depression (BDI, p < 0.01/HDRS, p < 0.01), as well as with the processing speed (TMT A; p < 0.01) and with task switching (TMT B; p < 0.05). MARS and PSQI were negatively correlated (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Inpatients with MDD and HC differ in psychomotor parameters. Psychomotor symptoms are associated with the severity of depression, visual attention, executive functions and sleep quality. For further analysis results of neurophysiology and functional brain imaging are very useful for the investigation of neurobiological backgrounds.