Depression and Error Detection

Major depressive disorder has been related to abnormalities in error processing, in which they show an enhanced sensitivity to cues of negative environmental valence (Chiu and Deldin, 2007). The two error associated components of the ERP, the ERN and Pe were investigated in depressed patients and healthy control participants while they performed a flanker task with reinforcement. Participants got rewards for correct responses and a monetary loss when they did make an incorrect response. There were two conditions in the flanker task. One neutral condition and one incentive condition. The behavioral results showed that both participant groups performed comparable in the neutral condition. The reaction times between the groups were also equally. As well as the latences of the responses in which they were shorter on trials that were correct. In the incentive condition, both groups showed the same accurateness for the punishment and reward conditions. The event related potential results showed that patients with depression exhibited larger ERN amplitudes then healthy control subjects In the neutral condition. In the incentive conditions, patients with depression had an especially enhanced ERN in the punishment condition. In the healthy control subjects, the ERN was almost significantly greater in the reward condition as compared to the punishment condition. Furthermore symptoms were not associated with the error related negativity. Concerning the error positivity, no differences between the groups in amplitude were found in the neutral condition. Patients had a larger Pe in the reward condition than in the punishment condition. According to these authors, the enlarged amplitude of the error related negativity found in the patients with depression may mistakenly give wrong signals that errors are great and very important, which might result in the behavioral, cognitive and affective expressions of patients with depression (Chiu and Deldin, 2007).