title: Increased frontal sleep slow wave activity in adolescents with major depression.
abstract: Sleep slow wave activity (SWA), the major electrophysiological characteristic of deep sleep, mirrors both cortical restructuring and functioning. The incidence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) substantially rises during the vulnerable developmental phase of adolescence, where essential cortical restructuring is taking place. The goal of this study was to assess characteristics of SWA topography in adolescents with MDD, in order to assess abnormalities in both cortical restructuring and functioning on a local level. All night high-density EEG was recorded in 15 patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for MDD and 15 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. The actual symptom severity was assessed using the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Topographical power maps were calculated based on the average SWA of the first non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep episode. Depressed adolescents exhibited significantly more SWA in a cluster of frontal electrodes compared to controls. SWA over frontal brain regions correlated positively with the CDRS-R subscore "morbid thoughts". Self-reported sleep latency was significantly higher in depressed adolescents compared to controls whereas sleep architecture did not differ between the groups. Higher frontal SWA in depressed adolescents may represent a promising biomarker tracing cortical regions of intense use and/or restructuring.
authors: Child Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Noemi
authors: N
authors: Tesler
authors: University Clinics for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: Gerstenberg
authors: University Clinics for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Maurizia
authors: M
authors: Franscini
authors: Child Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Oskar G
authors: OG
authors: Jenni
authors: Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; University Clinics for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Walitza
authors: Child Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; University Clinics for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Reto
authors: R
authors: Huber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012890:Sleep
keywords: Adolescents; Depression; High density EEG; Slow wave activity topography; Slow wave sleep