P300 parameters in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Event-related potential measures have been extensively studied in mental disorders. Among them, P300 amplitude and latency reflect impaired cognitive abilities in major depressive disorder (MDD). The present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether patients with MDD differ from healthy controls (HCs) with respect to P300 amplitude and latency. METHODS: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to 15 January 2023 for case-control studies comparing P300 amplitude and latency in patients with MDD and HCs. The primary outcome was the standard mean difference. A total of 13 articles on P300 amplitude and latency were included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Random effect models indicated that MDD patients had decreased P300 amplitude, but similar latency compared to healthy controls. According to regression analysis, the effect size increased with the severity of depression and decreased with the proportion of women in the MDD samples. Funnel plot asymmetry was not significant for publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased P300 amplitude may be a candidate diagnostic biomarker for MDD. However, prospective studies testing P300 amplitude as a monitoring biomarker for MDD are needed.

Predictive Value of qEEG in Manic Switch of Depressed Patients.

Backgrounds: More than half of the patients with bipolar disorder (BD) had depressive episodes at the onset of BD. Despite some suggested clinical predictors, there are no certain criteria for predicting which unipolar depression patient switch to manic episodes during the treatment course. Electrophysiological markers can address this issue. Methods: Pretreatment quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) records of patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) or BD at the first visit were included in the study. Patients with MDD were also grouped with manic switch (MS) or MDD based on the diagnosis of later visits. The qEEG spectral power was analyzed across 3 groups, that is, MS, MDD, and BD. Results: Compared to patients whose diagnosis did not change, patients with MS had accelerated high-frequency activities predominantly in the left hemisphere (central-parietal-occipital regions). In contrast, they showed increased slow wave activity predominantly in the right hemisphere (parietal-occipital regions). Conclusion: It can be concluded that searching for electrophysiological markers, which have distinct advantages of repeatability, noninvasiveness, and cost-effectiveness, can facilitate the prediction of the MS.

Statistical Comparison Between Interview Questions and Rating Scales in Psychiatry.

Background: Psychiatric evaluations consist of both qualitative questions and quantitative assessments, sometimes questioning the same issue. The present study attempts to investigate the statistical equivalency of several close-ended questions of a procedural psychiatric examination and rating scales addressing a similar problem. Methods: The current retrospective analysis included 314 patients who made their first visit to a private psychiatry clinic. Subjects underwent a routine psychiatric examination, including close-ended questions and related clinical scales. Questions included sleep and sexual problems, problems in marriage, parent relationship problems, and childhood abuse. The related psychiatric scales were Jenkins Sleep Scale, Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, respectively. First, receiver operating curve analysis was conducted for each yes/no question and clinical scale. Then, area under curve sensitivity and specificity values were calculated. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was also performed to observe paired predictor variables. Results: Among clinical questionnaires, the receiver operating curve model provided good area under curve values as prediction criteria for Dyadic Adjustment Scale (0.78; P < .001), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (0.74; P < .001), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-physical abuse (0.826; P < .001), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-sexual abuse (0.828; P < .001), Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (0.796; P < .001), and Jenkins Sleep Scale (0.920; P < .001). Multinomial logistic regression models also revealed good correct classification values for Dyadic Adjustment Scale-Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (61%), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Physical abuse-Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Sexual abuse (87.6%), and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale-Jenkins Sleep Scale (67%). Conclusion: When the symptoms are investigated in general terms, the present study reveals that an experienced clinician could rely on clinical questions as much as the quantitative scales in both clinical and research domains.