title: An Objective Screening Method for Major Depressive Disorder Using Logistic Regression Analysis of Heart Rate Variability Data Obtained in a Mental Task Paradigm.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Heart rate variability (HRV) has been intensively studied as a promising biological marker of major depressive disorder (MDD). Our previous study confirmed that autonomic activity and reactivity in depression revealed by HRV during rest and mental task (MT) conditions can be used as diagnostic measures and in clinical evaluation. In this study, logistic regression analysis (LRA) was utilized for the classification and prediction of MDD based on HRV data obtained in an MT paradigm.
  
  
  METHODS
  Power spectral analysis of HRV on R-R intervals before, during, and after an MT (random number generation) was performed in 44 drug-naïve patients with MDD and 47 healthy control subjects at Department of Psychiatry in Shizuoka Saiseikai General Hospital. Logit scores of LRA determined by HRV indices and heart rates discriminated patients with MDD from healthy subjects. The high frequency (HF) component of HRV and the ratio of the low frequency (LF) component to the HF component (LF/HF) correspond to parasympathetic and sympathovagal balance, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The LRA achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 80.0 and 79.0%, respectively, at an optimum cutoff logit score (0.28). Misclassifications occurred only when the logit score was close to the cutoff score. Logit scores also correlated significantly with subjective self-rating depression scale scores (p< 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HRV indices recorded during a MT may be an objective tool for screening patients with MDD in psychiatric practice. The proposed method appears promising for not only objective and rapid MDD screening but also evaluation of its severity.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , Tokyo , Japan.
authors.forename: Guanghao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Shizuoka Saiseikai General Hospital , Shizuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinba
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications , Tokyo , Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirimoto
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University , Tokyo , Japan.
authors.forename: Takemi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsui
keywords: autonomic activity; heart rate variability; logistic regression analysis; major depressive disorder; self-rating depression scale