title: Quantitative EEG in the prediction of antidepressant response to imipramine.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) in the prediction of response to imipramine in depressed patients. Forty patients with a diagnosis of unipolar depression were subjected to a placebo washout and were assessed at pre-drug, 3 h after their first dose of imipramine, and again 2 weeks into treatment. Following 4 weeks of open imipramine treatment, patients were separated into responder (R) and non-responder (NR) groups. Statistical analysis of the 29 patients who completed the study focused on group comparisons of power spectral estimates in four frequency bands from multi-channel recordings. Results showed that theta power differentiated R and NR groups prior to treatment, in response to an acute test dose, as well as after 2 weeks of active drug treatment. Results based on this exploratory study suggest that QEEG may be a useful early predictor of response to imipramine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Knott
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Telner
authors.forename: Y D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Lapierre
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Browne
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Horn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D007099:Imipramine