Cognitive deficits correlated with increased latency of event-related potentials in drug-free patients with generalized anxiety disorder

Objective: Few studies have identified a relationship between cognitive deficits and altered event-related potentials (ERPs), which measure the synchronous activity of neurons in response to a stimulus in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). In this study, we intended to explore the relation between cognitive function and ERP in patients with GAD. Methods: Fourteen drug-free participants with GAD and 14 healthy controls were recruited. ERPs were measured, and neuropsychological tests were administered. We compared the differences of the data between two groups of the study participants. Results: Poor performances of full IQ and the numbers of the categories completed on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test were found significantly correlated with increased frontal lobe latency in the patients with GAD (Spearman's ρ = −0.70, p < 0.05; Spearman's ρ = −0.85, p < 0.01), respectively, but not in the controls. Conclusion: As ERPs represent an index of information speed, we propose that patients with GAD could exhibit deficits in tasks requiring mental speed.