Urretavizcaya M, Moreno I, Benlloch L, Cardoner N, Serrallonga J, Menchón J M, Vallejo J
Department of Psychiatry, Prínceps d'Espanya University Hospital, Feixa Llarga s/n, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
J Affect Disord. 2003 May;74(3):293-7. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0327(02)00016-2.
To investigate whether there are some differences in Event-Related Potentials (ERP) between melancholic patients and healthy controls. To establish whether there is a relationship between abnormalities of ERP and severity of depression and psychomotor retardation.
Melancholic depressed patients (N=50) and normal comparison subjects (N=31) were assessed for latencies and interlatencies of N100, N200, N400, latency and amplitude of P300. The ERPs were studied with an 'oddball paradigm' in the auditory modality. Severity of depression was measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and psychomotor retardation with the Depressive Retardation Rating Scale (DRRS).
The melancholic group showed a significantly higher latency in N100 (P<0.001), N200 (P<0.001) and P300 (P<0.001) and a significantly lower P300 amplitude (P<0.001) than healthy controls. No other differences were found either in the latencies of the N400 or in their interlatencies. HDRS and DRRS do not have any significant correlations with amplitude or latency measures.
The subjects of this study are inpatients, with a severe subcategory of depression and high average age. It is difficult to generalize these findings.
The principal finding of this study is the increase in three of the four latencies measured (N100, N200 and P300) and in the decreased P300 amplitude in melancholic patients compared to normal controls. There is no association between these abnormalities and clinical variables.
研究忧郁症患者与健康对照者之间的事件相关电位（ERP）是否存在差异。确定ERP异常与抑郁严重程度及精神运动迟缓之间是否存在关联。
对50名忧郁症抑郁患者和31名正常对照者进行N100、N200、N400的潜伏期和峰间期、P300的潜伏期和波幅评估。采用听觉模式的“oddball范式”研究ERP。用汉密尔顿抑郁评定量表（HDRS）测量抑郁严重程度，用抑郁迟缓评定量表（DRRS）测量精神运动迟缓。
与健康对照者相比，忧郁症组的N100（P<0.001）、N200（P<0.001）和P300（P<0.001）潜伏期显著延长，P300波幅显著降低（P<0.001）。N400的潜伏期及其峰间期未发现其他差异。HDRS和DRRS与波幅或潜伏期测量值无显著相关性。
本研究的受试者为住院患者，属于重度抑郁亚类且平均年龄较高。这些发现难以推广。
本研究的主要发现是，与正常对照者相比，忧郁症患者测量的四个潜伏期中有三个（N100、N200和P300）延长，P300波幅降低。这些异常与临床变量之间无关联。
