Outcome of cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression: relation to hemispheric dominance for verbal processing.
Unmedicated depressed outpatients were tested on dichotic syllable and complex tone tests prior to receiving 16 weekly sessions of cognitive therapy (n = 31) or 6-12 weeks of placebo treatment (n = 45). Cognitive-therapy responders had twice the right-ear (left hemisphere) advantage for syllables when compared with nonresponders but did not differ from nonresponders on the nonverbal task. The larger right-ear advantage in cognitive-therapy responders was due to better right-ear accuracy; they did not differ from nonresponders in left-ear accuracy. No differences in perceptual asymmetry or accuracy were found between placebo responders and nonresponders. Right-ear accuracy for syllables was the best predictor of response to cognitive therapy in a logistic regression analysis. The findings suggest that greater left-hemisphere advantage for verbal processing is associated with more favorable outcome of cognitive therapy for depression.
Bruder
G E
GE
Department of Biopsychology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10032, USA. bruderg@nypsych.cpmc.columbia.edu
Stewart
J W
JW
Mercier
M A
MA
Agosti
V
V
Leite
P
P
Donovan
S
S
Quitkin
F M
FM
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome