title: Prediction of treatment response in major depression: integration of concepts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Two promising approaches have been introduced for the prediction of treatment response in major depression: one concept is based on the activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC). Subjects with higher metabolic rates respond better to sleep deprivation or antidepressive medication. Another approach is the investigation of the loudness dependence of the auditory evoked potential (LDAEP). Here, a high LDAEP is supposed to reflect low central serotonergic activity. We present the first study comparing both approaches in the same group of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with major depression (n=20) were investigated using both resting EEG and LDAEP before treatment with either citalopram or reboxetine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found significant differences between responders and non-responders in the rACC in the theta-frequency range (6.5-8 Hz, p<0.05). In the subgroup of patients, treated with citalopram we found higher LDAEP-values in responders versus non-responders (p<0.05) and a significant correlation between pre-treatment-LDAEP and improvement in the Hamilton score after treatment (r=0.71, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In combining both methods a prediction whether a patient with major depression might be at risk for non-response to a standard therapy as well as a suggestion for a pharmacological approach of choice seems to be possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, LMU, Munich, Germany. cmulert@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mulert
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Juckel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunnmeier
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karch
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leicht
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mergl
authors.forename: Hans-Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hegerl
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pogarell
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015283:Citalopram / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004867:Equipment Design; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009025:Morpholines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009482:Neurophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000077593:Reboxetine; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013826:Theta Rhythm
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D009025:Morpholines; D015283:Citalopram; D000077593:Reboxetine