Do tricyclic responders have different brain laterality?
A previous study showed that depressed patients who improved with tricyclic antidepressant medication had dichotic complex tones test results suggesting right-hemisphere dysfunction relative to nonresponders and controls (G. E. Bruder et al., 1990). A new sample of 68 depressed patients completed dichotic consonant-vowel (CV) and complex tones (CT) tests and then were treated with imipramine or placebo. A significant Ear x Test x Treatment x Response interaction was accounted for by significantly poorer left-ear accuracy for CVs among imipramine responders compared with nonresponders, placebo responders, and controls. CV left-ear accuracy was also significantly greater among placebo responders than placebo nonresponders and controls. The results only partially replicate the prior study in that evidence of right-hemisphere dysfunction in tricyclic responders was seen for the CV test but not the CT test.
Stewart
J W
JW
Depression Evaluation Service, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10032, USA.
Quitkin
F M
FM
McGrath
P J
PJ
Bruder
G E
GE
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010700:Phonetics; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D007099:Imipramine