Resting frontal EEG asymmetry patterns in adolescents with and without major depression

Barbara D Grünewald; Ellen Greimel; Monika Trinkl; Jürgen Bartling; Nicola Großheinrich; Gerd Schulte-Körne

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.003

Resting frontal EEG asymmetry patterns in adolescents with and without major depression

Biol Psychol. 2018 Feb:132:212-216. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.003. Epub 2018 Jan 4.

Authors

Barbara D Grünewald¹, Ellen Greimel², Monika Trinkl², Jürgen Bartling², Nicola Großheinrich³, Gerd Schulte-Körne²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5a, 80336 Munich, Germany. Electronic address: barbara.gruenewald@med.uni-muenchen.de.
² Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5a, 80336 Munich, Germany.
³ Catholic University of Applied Sciences Nordrhein-Westfalen, Department of Social Sciences, Robert-Schuman-Str. 25, 52066 Aachen, Germany.

PMID: 29305876
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.003

Abstract

More right-sided frontal brain resting activity has been postulated to be a correlate of major depression in adults. In children and adolescents, more right-sided activity (as indicated by more left-sided alpha activity) seems to be associated with psychosocial risk factors. However, an association of frontal asymmetry and manifest unipolar depression has not been shown in adolescents so far. We analyzed frontal asymmetry in 20 adolescents (12-17 years) with unipolar depression (12 with first episode, 8 with recurrent depression) and 31 healthy age-matched controls. We found significantly less left-sided alpha power over frontal Regions of Interest in patients, while controls exhibited no asymmetry. In the control group, more left-sided frontal alpha correlated with higher depression scores, which was not observed in the patient group. Our results suggest developmental effects on frontal asymmetry, and prompt further investigations in adolescents to clarify the role of frontal asymmetry in adolescent major depression.

Keywords: Adolescents; Alpha power; Asymmetry; EEG; Major depression.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Alpha Rhythm
Case-Control Studies
Child
Depressive Disorder / physiopathology*
Depressive Disorder / psychology
Depressive Disorder, Major / physiopathology*
Depressive Disorder, Major / psychology
Electroencephalography*
Female
Frontal Lobe / physiopathology
Functional Laterality / physiology
Humans
Male
Rest / physiology
Rest / psychology*
Risk Factors