Although hormonal contraceptive use is not associated with EEG-biomarkers in unmedicated depressed women, they may modulate links between specific EEG-biomarkers and antidepressant response. However, contraceptive use, specifically COC, is associated with worse treatment outcomes and may be critical to developing biomarkers, including EEG-based, to guide treatment in women with MDD.
Jensen et al. (2026) studied this question.
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