Wu WY, Luo FG, Wang JJ, Fang KJ, Xing HY, Yan J. Advancing the neuroelectrophysiological understanding of attentional switching dysfunction in major depressive disorder. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(9): 115590 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.115590]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Juan Yan, MD, Manager, Professor, Quality Control Office, Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 305 Tianmushan Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China. 294162939@qq.com
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Psychiatry
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review-article
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Wu WY, Luo FG, Wang JJ, Fang KJ, Xing HY, Yan J. Advancing the neuroelectrophysiological understanding of attentional switching dysfunction in major depressive disorder. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(9): 115590 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.115590]
World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2026; 16(9): 115590 Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.115590
Advancing the neuroelectrophysiological understanding of attentional switching dysfunction in major depressive disorder
Wen-Ye Wu, Fu-Gang Luo, Jun-Jie Wang, Kai-Jie Fang, Hao-Yu Xing, Juan Yan
Wen-Ye Wu, Kai-Jie Fang, Juan Yan, Quality Control Office, Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China
Fu-Gang Luo, Intensive Care Unit, Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China
Jun-Jie Wang, Judicial Appraisal Institute, Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China
Hao-Yu Xing, Department of Medical Engineering, Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Wen-Ye Wu and Fu-Gang Luo.
Co-corresponding authors: Hao-Yu Xing and Juan Yan.
Author contributions: Wu WY and Luo FG contributed equally to this article, they are the co-first authors of this manuscript; Wu WY and Fang KJ contributed to the reviewing and editing; Luo FG and Wang JJ contributed to the conceptualization and writing; Xing HY and Yan J participated in drafting the manuscript, they contributed equally to this article, they are the co-corresponding authors of this manuscript; Xing HY wrote the original draft; and all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: The manuscript was corrected for grammar and sentence structure by a professional editing service agency (Editage). The content, arguments, structure and viewpoints of this article are entirely the creation of the author. No content was generated using any artificial intelligence tools in this text.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Juan Yan, MD, Manager, Professor, Quality Control Office, Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 305 Tianmushan Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China. 294162939@qq.com
Received: October 21, 2025 Revised: December 17, 2025 Accepted: February 2, 2026 Published online: September 19, 2026 Processing time: 307 Days and 22.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This article synthesizes neuroelectrophysiological evidence on attentional switching deficits in major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD patients exhibit reduced P200 and late positive potential amplitudes during tasks requiring attention shifts, especially towards negative emotional stimuli. These event-related potential abnormalities pinpoint dysfunctions in early attentional engagement and sustained emotional processing. The use of ecologically valid dual-task paradigms strengthens these findings. The identified event-related potential markers hold significant promise for refining the cognitive profile of MDD, guiding targeted interventions like attention bias modification, and monitoring treatment response, paving the way for a more neuroscience-informed approach to understanding and treating depression-related cognitive dysfunction.
