Neural Correlates of Proactive and Reactive Control in Major Depression: An ERP Study Using a Cued Antisaccade Task

This event-related potential (ERP) study investigated proactive and reactive control in major depressive disorder (MDD) using a precued antisaccade paradigm with emotional probes. Proactive control refers to biasing of information processing toward a given goal during anticipation of a relevant event; reactive control involves correction processes activated after the event. EEG and eye tracking recordings were obtained in 50 MDD patients and 50 controls. In the task, a probe appeared left or right of the fixation point 1800ms after a central cue; subjects had to look toward the probe (prosaccade) or its mirror image position (antisaccade). Probes were positive, negative or neutral facial expressions, with their frame colors instructing task requirements. The cue informed about antisaccade probability (70% vs. 30%). Incongruence between expected and actual task requirements resulted in increased response latency compared to congruent conditions, with a larger difference in patients than controls for negative probes. CNV amplitude was smaller in patients than controls for expectation of antisaccades with neutral probes. Patients exhibited smaller probe P3a amplitude, independent of congruency. Source imaging suggested the origin of the ERPs to be in orbitofrontal cortex and superior frontal gyrus. The CNV reduction during antisaccade anticipation indicates reduced engagement of proactive control in MDD. Patients’ greater response latency increase for incongruent versus congruent negative probes reflects impaired reactive control. The congruence-independence of the P3a reduction limits its interpretation as a neural correlate of reduced reactive control in MDD. Impaired cognitive control may contribute to maladaptive automatized thinking and emotional dysregulations characterizing MDD.