title: Difference in the binocular rivalry rate between depressive episodes and remission.
abstract: Binocular rivalry refers to a phenomenon in which, when different images are presented to each eye simultaneously, perception alternates spontaneously between monocular views rather than being a superposition of the two images. Recently, the involvement of serotonin systems has been reported to be related to the phenomenon. There is abundant evidence for abnormalities of the serotonin systems in depression and the antidepressants that enhance 5-HT transmission, which in turn improves mood and behavior. However, the available data with respect to rivalry rates in depression are less clear. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether perceptual rivalry was affected by a dysfunctional serotonin system in patients with depression and whether there was a rivalry rate difference between episode and remission states in depression patients. Twenty-eight patients with depression and 30 healthy controls were recruited in the study. We assessed the rivalry rate and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) in patients with depression during clinical episode and remission states. The results suggested that alternation rates for patients during episodes were significantly slower than during remission and than in healthy controls. Also, alternation rates for patients during remission were slower than in healthy controls. These results may provide further clues to serotonergic neural systems contributing to the dynamics of perception rivalry and may foster enlightenment regarding the field of binocular rivalry in psychiatric disorders other than bipolar disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Chunlan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.affiliation: Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Panpan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, Anhui Province, China.
authors.forename: Xinglong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Electronic address: ayfytyh@126.com.
authors.forename: Yanghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Electronic address: wangkai1964@126.com.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014787:Vision Tests; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
keywords: Binocular rivalry; Depression; Serotonin