Project Summary

Judith Jaeger, Ph.D., M.P.A. (Independent Investigator 2001) of Long Island Jewish Medical Center, will study Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which has typically been managed as an episodic condition.  However, with only about 20% of its sufferers recovering and remaining well, most experts agree it should instead be treated as a chronic and disabling disease.  While fluctuation in level of depressive symptoms is correlated to some degree with fluctuations in severity of disability in life functioning, there is strong evidence that even following sustained remission, patients with MDD experience significant compromise in their life function.  As a group patients with MDD also have significant neurocognitive deficits (NCD'S).  Neuroimaging studies have revealed sustained brain changes that are correlated with duration of illness and number of episodes.  Dr. Jaeger hypothesizes that NC impairments are associate, independent of depression severity of sub abuse, with residual disability 6 months after discharge.  Findings if this study may have important treatement consequences: if NCD's are shown to consequences if NCD's are shown to contribute to disability independently of mood symptoms then NC deficits would be a new & important treatment target in MDD.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)\Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

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