Cognitive mechanisms underlying depressive disorders in ADHD: A systematic review

The risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) is considerably increased in young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This review explores ADHD-specific neurocognitive impairments as possible ADHD-depression comorbidity. Two systematic literature searches were conducted EBSCOhost, PubMED, and Cochrane Reviews databases according to PRISMA guidelines. first search identified 18 meta-analyses of cross-sectional longitudinal studies on cognitive dysfunctions MDD across the lifespan. second six original reaction time variability MDD. During acute depression, children showed deficits that overlapped some ADHD-related impairments. Findings from remitted patients, high-risk individuals, few prospective suggest a subset these shared impairments, specifically executive (selective attention, verbal fluency, working memory) long-term memory problems, candidate pre-existing markers depression. We discuss if how specific may mediate developmental pathways ADHD If replicated by studies, findings guide future prevention strategies.