[Depression and memory: comparison of memory performances in depressive and healthy adults]. / Depression und Gedächtnis: Gedächtnisleistungen im Vergleich zwischen Depressiven und Gesunden.

BACKGROUND: This study examines whether patients suffering from a major depression episode or recurrent depression reveal impairments in different memory components compared to healthy controls. Memory functions are examined and compared by assessing the examinees' performances on free recall and recognition tasks. METHODS: Performances of 200 depressed inpatients and outpatients as well as 200 healthy controls on memory tasks were assessed using a psychometric test battery. Data was evaluated by analyzing the differences of mean values and the heterogeneity of relevant effect sizes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Depressed patients showed lower performances on all episodic memory tasks compared to healthy controls. The size of deficits turned out to vary depending on the type of affective disorder and the type of memory task.

[The relationships of intelligence and memory assessed using the WAIS-IV and the WMS-IV]. / Zusammenhänge von Intelligenz- und Gedächtnis-diagnostik anhand von WAIS-IV und WMS-IV.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationships of intelligence and memory scores derived from WAIS-IV and WMS-IV. We were especially interested in the reciprocal predictive values of the test scales. METHODS: A sample of 137 healthy adults with an age range between 16 and 69 years was assessed with the WAIS-IV and the WMS-IV. The test order was balanced. Pearson correlations were conducted on the subtest and scale level. A series of 14 linear regression models was tested with memory performance as predictor for intelligence and vice versa. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A model including the 3 main memory scales of the WMS-IV was able to predict the global IQ best. It nevertheless explained only 46% of the variance. The memory and intelligence measures show significant relationships, but also represent distinct functions. WAIS-IV and WMS-IV complement one another.

Nonverbal and verbal learning: a comparative study of children and adolescents with 22q11 deletion syndrome, non-syndromal Nonverbal Learning Disorder and memory disorder.

The 22q11 deletion syndrome (DS) is a common genetic disorder, and a Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) is considered as a predominant part of the phenotype. The focus of our study was to investigate the role of learning in this NLD characteristic. We compared results of children and adolescents with 22q11 DS; with non-syndromal NLD and with memory disorders on multi-trial verbal and nonverbal learning tests. Better verbal and worse nonverbal IQs were significantly discrepant for the 22q11 DS sample and for the NLD sample; the memory sample had a FS-IQ in the normal range with lower verbal IQ. General IQ was lowest for the 22q11 DS group. Similar differences in normal verbal and worse nonverbal learning resulted for the 22q11 sample and NLD-sample, while memory sample showed low performances on both tasks. Error analysis in the visual learning task indicated that lacking integration of visual-spatial information affected impaired visual memory performances in 22q11 DS and NLD. Our results reflected a common neurological basis with visual-spatial and visual memory deficits in NLD and in the 22q11 DS sample. To further investigate the issue of cross modal novelty learning deficits we recommend the use of abstract verbal learning material.