title: Impaired pitch identification as a potential marker for depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Impaired auditory performance has been considered as marker for depression. The present study tested whether pitch perception is affected in depression and whether the impairment is task-specific or reflects global dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve depressive in-patients and 12 non-depressive participants, half of the sample women, volunteered. The participants performed pitch identification using a four-choice reaction task, pitch contour perception, and pitch discrimination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During pitch identification but not during pitch contour perception or pitch discrimination, depressive patients responded less accurate than non-depressive participants (F = 3.3, p = 0.047). An analysis of covariates revealed that only female but not male depressive patients identified pitches poorly (Z = -2.2, p = 0.025) and inaccurate pitch identification correlated with high scores in the Beck Depression Inventory in women (r = -0.8, p = 0.001) but not in men (r = -0.1, p = 0.745). Patients did not differ from controls in reaction time or responsiveness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Impaired pitch perception in depression is task-specific. Therefore, cognitive deficits in depression are circumscribed and not global. Reduced pitch identification in depression was associated with female sex. We suggest that impaired pitch identification merits attention as a potential marker for depression in women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany. mschwenzer@ukaachen.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwenzer
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zattarin
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grözinger
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mathiak
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology