EEG Frontal Asymmetry and Theta Power in Unipolar and Bipolar Depression

Kristin Koller-Schlaud; Andreas Ströhle; Elisabeth Bärwolf; Joachim Behr; Johannes Rentzsch

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.011

EEG Frontal Asymmetry and Theta Power in Unipolar and Bipolar Depression

J Affect Disord. 2020 Nov 1:276:501-510. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.011. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Authors

Kristin Koller-Schlaud¹, Andreas Ströhle², Elisabeth Bärwolf², Joachim Behr³, Johannes Rentzsch⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Campus Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Fehrbelliner Straße 38, 16816 Neuruppin, Germany.
² Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Campus Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
³ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Campus Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Fehrbelliner Straße 38, 16816 Neuruppin, Germany; Faculty of Health Science Brandenburg, Joint Faculty of the University of Potsdam, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Campus Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Fehrbelliner Straße 38, 16816 Neuruppin, Germany. Electronic address: johannes.rentzsch@mhb-fontane.de.

PMID: 32871681
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.011

Abstract

Background: Distinguishing between unipolar and bipolar depression is of high clinical relevance. However, there is sparse research directly comparing these groups in terms of EEG activity.

Method: We investigated 87 participants' left and right EEG frontal alpha-1, alpha-2, and theta activity related to happy and sad face stimuli in unipolar (UD, n=33) and bipolar (BD, n=22) depressed participants, and controls without depression (HC, n=32).

Results: Post-hoc analysis of an observed hemisphere x group interaction (p< .037) showed significant differences in alpha-1 asymmetry only for the comparison of UD and HC (p< .006). Further analysis of a significant emotion x group interaction (p= .001) revealed a differential impact of stimulus valence on theta power between the groups (p< .001). The valence dependent theta power of the BD differed from that of the UD (p< .0002) and the HC (p< .004). Alpha-1 asymmetry classified HC and both depressed groups with an accuracy of .69. Valence-related theta classified BD from UD with an accuracy of .83. Leave-one-out cross validation resulted in slightly reduced accuracy.

Limitations: Important limitations were the small sample size and that subjects were not medication-free.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the value of simple, task related EEG activity for differentiating not only healthy individuals from those with depression, but also individuals with unipolar depression from those with bipolar depression.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bipolar Disorder*
Depressive Disorder*
Electroencephalography
Emotions
Face
Humans