[Brain evoked potentials in patients with depression or anxiety].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the features and clinical implications of event related potential (ERP) and cognitive-processing in patients with depression, anxiety or both anxiety and depression


METHODS
A total of 34 patients with anxiety (HAMA>14, HAMD<17), 33 patients with depression (HAMD>17, HAMA<14), 54 patients with both anxiety and depression (HAMA>14, HAMD>17), and 37 health volunteers were recruited in the study. The event related potential were recorded by Nihon Kohden instruments.


RESULTS
Compared with the healthy volunteers, the latency of P3a and P3b was longer (P<0.05) and the amplitude of N2-P3b was lower in the patients with anxiety (P<0.05); the Amplitude of N2-P3b was lower (P<0.05) in the patients with depression; the latency of P3a was longer and the amplitude of N2-P3b was lower (P<0.05) in the patients with both anxiety and depression. The latencies of P3a and P3b in the patients with anxiety and both anxiety and depression were longer than in the patients with depression(P<0.05). The latency of N2 in the patients with anxiety and depression was longer than in the patients with anxiety or depression (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The features of ERP in patients with depression are different from those with anxiety, which provides an electroneurophysiology basis for the clinical diagnosis and differential diagnosis for anxiety and depression.
Zhu
Chun-Yan
CY
Mental Health Center,West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Zheng
Zhong
Z
Qiu
Chang-Jian
CJ
Zou
Ke
K
Nie
Xiao-Jing
XJ
Feng
Yuan
Y
Wu
Rui-Zhi
RZ
Zhang
Wei
W
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged