title: Relationship between quantitative electroencephalogram and interferon-α-induced depression in chronic hepatitis C patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) changes in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with interferon-α (IFN-α) have previously been reported. However, whether IFN-α-induced depression is related to changes in qEEG during IFN-α treatment remains unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty chronic hepatitis C patients were enrolled and IFN-α was administered intramuscularly at 9 × 10(6) IU daily for the first 4 weeks and then 3 times a week for the next 20 weeks. Serial EEGs obtained before and at 4 weeks after treatment were assessed. The absolute power for each frequency band was determined using qEEG techniques. Differences in the rate of change in absolute power for each of 6 frequency bands (δ, θ1, θ2, α1, α2 and β) were assessed between patients with and without major depression using the Mann-Whitney U test. When significant differences in the rate of change in absolute power for each frequency band were observed, differences in the rate of change were also assessed between patients with and without psychological complications using the Mann-Whitney U test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Major depression due to psychological complications during IFN-α treatment was reported in 10 out of 50 patients. In the θ1 band, the difference in the rate of change was demonstrated to be significant (p = 0.0036). Moreover, at the central, frontal, parietal, and temporal locations, the rates of change were also significantly different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In IFN-α-treated chronic hepatitis C patients who were diagnosed with major depression, qEEG changes were more obvious and widely distributed.
authors: Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Akihiko
authors: A
authors: Morita
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Kamei
authors: Teiichiro
authors: T
authors: Sakai
authors: Kentarou
authors: K
authors: Oga
authors: Masato
authors: M
authors: Matsuura
authors: Takuya
authors: T
authors: Kojima
authors: Makoto
authors: M
authors: Uchiyama
authors: Naohide
authors: N
authors: Tanaka
authors: Yasuyuki
authors: Y
authors: Arakawa
authors: Mitsuhiko
authors: M
authors: Moriyama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001931:Brain Mapping; D058256:Brain Waves / Q000187:drug effects*; D003863:Depression / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016898:Interferon-alpha