Key result
Recurrent major depressive disorder in euthymic women was associated with lower left frontal activity (-0.06 vs 0.04 lnμV2, p=0.04) and reduced cardiovagal tone compared to healthy controls.
Why the study?
Are there differences in cerebral activity and cardiac autonomic parameters between euthymic women with recurrent MDD and healthy controls?
Case-Control (n=60)
Are there differences in cerebral activity and cardiac autonomic parameters between euthymic women with recurrent MDD and healthy controls?
Absolute Event Rate: -0.06% vs 0.04%
p-value: p=.04
Euthymic women with recurrent MDD exhibit a distinctive psychophysiologic profile characterized by altered frontal activation and reduced cardiovagal tone.
Persistent psychophysiologic alterations in euthymic recurrent MDD may mark vulnerability; leaves open predictive value for recurrence or treatment response.
Objective Alterations in neuroelectrical activities coincide with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study examines the pattern of cerebral activity and cardiac autonomic parameters of euthymic women with recurrent MDD. Methods Resting electroencephalograms and electrocardiograms were recorded from 20 women with MDD receiving escitalopram and 40 matched and healthy women. We computed frontal alpha asymmetry to evaluate the interhemispheric balance. Parameters of heart rate variability were extracted to assess cardiac autonomic control. Sample entropy was used to assess the complexity of neurocardiac dynamics. The relationship between cardiovagal activity and alpha electroencephalogram was examined with a coherence analysis. Results Multivariable analysis of variance revealed a differential pattern of psychophysiologic variables between MDD patients and controls (p = .03). MDD was associated with a tendency toward lower left frontal activity (−0.06 [standard deviation = 0.14] versus 0.04 [0.17] lnμV2, p = .04). Discriminant analysis demonstrated more right frontal activation, a lower high-frequency heart rate power spectrum, and a higher ratio of the low- to high-frequency heart rate power spectrum in patients with MDD compared with controls. Residual depressive symptoms (r = −0.09 to 0.11, p = .63–.99) and escitalopram dosage (r = −0.09 to 0.28, p = .22–.84) were not correlated with autonomic measures. Coherence between normalized high-frequency component of the heart rate power spectrum and alpha power was not significant (F3, p = .27; F4, p = .16). Conclusions Euthymic women with recurrent MDD have a distinctive psychophysiologic profile. This profile may reflect altered frontal activation and a reduced cardiovagal tone in depression. Abbreviations MDD = major depressive disorder EEG = electroencephalogram HRV = heart rate variability ECG = electrocardiogram HDRS = Hamilton Depression Rating Scale SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor EOG = electrooculogram RR = beat to beat NN = normal to normal LF = low-frequency component of the heart rate power spectrum HF = high-frequency component of the heart rate power spectrum SampEn = sample entropy MANCOVA = multivariate analysis of covariance
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Chang et al. (2012) conducted a case-control in recurrent major depressive disorder (n=60). Recurrent major depressive disorder vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on left frontal activity (lnμV2) (p=.04). Recurrent major depressive disorder in euthymic women was associated with lower left frontal activity (-0.06 vs 0.04 lnμV2, p=0.04) and reduced cardiovagal tone compared to healthy controls.
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