Pre-Treatment EEG and It's Relationship to Depression Severity and Paroxetine Treatment Outcome

V. Knott; C. Mahoney; S. Kennedy; K. Evans

doi:10.1055/s-2000-8356

Pharmacopsychiatry, Table of Contents

Pharmacopsychiatry 2000; 33(6): 201-205
DOI: 10.1055/s-2000-8356

Original Paper

Pre-Treatment EEG and It's Relationship to Depression Severity and Paroxetine Treatment Outcome

V. Knott¹ , C. Mahoney¹ , S. Kennedy² , K. Evans³

¹Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Ottawa/Royal Ottawa Hospital and Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
²Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto/Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
³Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

An array of variables have been assessed as potential early predictors of antidepressant response in depressed patients. This exploratory study examined the relationship of clinical outcome, following pharmacotherapeutic treatment, with quantitative electroencephalographic (EEG) features assessed prior to treatment onset. In 70 major affective disorder patients, pre-treatment spectrum-analysed topographic EEG indices (absolute power, relative power, mean frequency, inter-hemispheric power asymmetry and coherence for 4 frequency bands) were assessed in relation to baseline HAM-D ratings and HAM-D rating changes following 6 weeks of open-label paroxetine treatment. EEG slow wave (theta) activities were positively correlated with depression ratings prior to treatment. Of the patients (n = 51) completing treatment, 80 % evidenced a > 50 % reduction in HAM-D ratings. Improved rating changes in general were found to be negatively related to slow (delta and theta) wave activity and positively related to fast (beta) activity at frontal recording sites. Findings are discussed in relation to the neurochemistry and neurobiology of depressive disorders.

Full Text

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Dr. Verner J. Knott

Royal Ottawa Hospital

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Ottawa, Ontario

Canada K1Z 7K4

Phone: (613) 722-6521 (ext. 6843)

Fax: (613) 722-4058

Email: vknott@rohcg.on.ca