[Donáth Gyula (1849-1944) memorial 2008;61(05-06)]

[Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) show neuropsychological impairments, including deficient executive functions and suboptimal decision-making strategies, which are mediated by several brain regions. In the development of these symptoms the pathology of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), including the dorsolateral, ventromedial and orbitofrontal regions, may also play an important role. Neuropsychological assessment is a useful tool in detecting and measuring these deficiencies, showing that patients with MDD exhibit altered sensitivity to reward and punishment. However, impairment of emotional decisionmaking strategies in MDD is influenced by genetic variations (5-HTTLPR polymorphism) and personality traits, which seem to have a higher predictive value on decision making performance than the clinical symptoms.]