Background: Depression is among the most common mental health problems for young people. In adults, depression is associated with neurocognitive deficits that reduce the effectiveness of treatment and impair educational and vocational functioning. Compared to adults, less is known about the neurocognitive functioning of young people with depression, and existing research has reported inconsistent findings. Method: This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized the literature on neurocognitive functioning in currently depressed youth aged 12–25 years in comparison to healthy controls. Results: Following a systematic review of the literature, 23 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Poorer performance in the domains of attention (SMD: .50, 95% CI: .18–.83, p = .002), verbal memory (SMD: .78, 95% CI: .50–1.0, p < .001), visual memory (SMD: .65, 95% CI: .30–.99, p < .001), verbal reasoning/knowledge (SMD: .46; 95% CI: .14–.79; p < 0.001) and IQ (SMD: .32; 95% CI: .08–.56; p = 0.01) were identified in depressed youth. Relative weaknesses in processing speed/reaction time and verbal learning were also evident, however, these findings disappeared when the quality of studies was controlled for. Moderator analysis showed a tendency for poorer set-shifting ability in younger depressed participants relative to controls (although non-significant; p = .05). Moderator analysis of medication status showed taking medication was associated with poorer attentional functioning compared to those not taking medication. Conclusion: The findings suggest that currently depressed young people display a range of neurocognitive weaknesses which may impact treatment engagement and outcome. The findings support the need to consider neurocognitive functioning when treating youth with depression.

中文翻译：

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抑郁青年的神经认知功能：系统评价和荟萃分析

背景：抑郁症是年轻人最常见的心理健康问题。在成年人中，抑郁症与神经认知功能障碍有关，神经功能障碍会降低治疗效果并削弱教育和职业功能。与成年人相比，关于抑郁症的年轻人的神经认知功能知之甚少，现有研究报道了不一致的发现。方法：本系统综述和荟萃分析综合了与健康对照相比，目前处于抑郁状态的12至25岁青年的神经认知功能的文献。结果：在对文献进行系统回顾之后，荟萃分析包括23项研究。在关注领域的表现较差（SMD：.50，95％CI：.18-.83，p  = .002），口头记忆（SMD：.78，95％CI：.50–1.0，p  <.001），视觉记忆（SMD：.65，95 ％CI：.30–.99，p  <。 001），口头推理/知识（SMD：.46; 95％CI：.14–.79; p  <0.001）和IQ（SMD：.32; 95％CI：.08–.56; p  = 0.01）是在沮丧的年轻人中发现。在处理速度/反应时间和口头学习方面的相对弱点也很明显，但是，在控制研究质量的情况下，这些发现消失了。主持人分析显示，与对照组相比，年轻的抑郁参与者的定势转移能力较弱（尽管不显着；p = .05）。主持人对用药状况的分析显示，与未服药者相比，服药者的注意力功能较差。结论：研究结果表明，当前抑郁的年轻人表现出一系列神经认知功能弱点，可能会影响治疗的参与度和结果。这些发现支持在治疗青年抑郁症时需要考虑神经认知功能。