Prospective memory assessment in a Mexican sample with depression

Derian Mandujano-Torres, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, Mexico
Georgina Cardenas-López, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, Mexico
Azzizudin Khan, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Bombay, India
Raúl Durón-Figueroa, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, Mexico

Objective: To evaluate deficits in time-based and event-based prospective memory (PM) in Mexican individuals diagnosed with moderate to severe depression. Methods: Two PM paradigms and a high cognitive load task were administered to 22 participants (with and without depression). Performance in time-based and event-based tasks was compared using screen click frequency as an indicator of errors and overall performance. Results: Differences were found in event-based task performance compared to time-based tasks across both groups. Participants achieved an overall average score of 64.67 (SD = 15.45). No significant differences were found between conditions, except for a marginal effect observed in Task 6 ($p = 0.049$). Conclusions: These findings suggest variations in PM execution under cognitive load. However, the marginal statistical significance highlights the need for further studies with larger samples to obtain more robust data on cognitive impairment in this population.

Keywords: Depression. Prospective memory. Cognition. Time.