Résumé
Suicidal behaviour has been investigated at sociological, clinical, genetic, cellular, and molecular levels. More recently, neuropsychological and brain imaging studies have been conducted to improve our understanding of this complex behaviour. Here, we review the growing number of studies published in the neuropsychological field. A total of 68 studies were found, most of them investigating middle-aged adults. Findings generally support the concept of vulnerability to suicidal behaviour, which is associated with certain neuropsychological deficits: deficient decision making, reduced cognitive control and verbal fluency and impairment of autobiographical (over-general and less specific), long-term and working memory. More studies are necessary to confirm these findings and increase our understanding of these heterogeneous behaviours. This may be a first step toward uncovering more powerful predictive markers and identifying more efficient therapeutic targets.