title: Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) tasting and reported depression.
abstract: The phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste test was investigated for its potential as a genetically based biological marker for depression. One hundred and one male and female adults (including 6 patients hospitalized for depression), aged 18-36, completed a multifactor depression questionnaire that included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a scale that measures severity of depression in mother and father, and a commercially prepared PTC (paper) taste test. As predicted, PTC tasters reported significantly higher levels of depression on the BDI than nontasters (p less than .05); also, they scored higher on 5 of the 21 items (p less than .05). Significantly more subjects who reported a mother debilitated by depression were PTC tasters (p less than .05). Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Whittemore
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010670:Phenylthiourea; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D010670:Phenylthiourea