Predicting depression symptoms in families at risk for depression: Interrelations of posterior EEG alpha and religion/spirituality
Lidia Y.X. Panier1, Gerard E. Bruder2, Connie Svob1,2, Priya Wickramaratne1,2, Marc J. Gameroff1,2, Myrna M. Weissman1,2, Craig E. Tenke1,2Â, Jürgen Kayser1,2
1New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA; 2Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; ÂAuthor Deceased
Received 21 January 2020; revised 30 March 2020; accepted 15 May 2020; available online 27 May 2020.
Abstract
Background. Posterior EEG alpha has been identified as a putative biomarker of clinical outcomes in major depression (MDD). Separately, personal importance of religion and spirituality (R/S) has been shown to provide protective benefits for individuals at high familial risk for MDD. This study directly explored the joint value of posterior alpha and R/S on predicting clinical health outcomes of depression. Methods. Using a mixed-effects model approach, we obtained virtual estimates of R/S at age 21 using longitudinal data collected at 5 timepoints spanning 25 years. Current source density and frequency principal component analysis was used to quantify posterior alpha in 72-channel resting EEG (eyes open/closed). Depression severity was measured between 5 and 10 years after EEG collection using PHQ-9 and IDAS-GD scales. Results. Greater R/S (p = .008, ?p2 = 0.076) and higher alpha (p = .02, ?p2 = 0.056) were separately associated with fewer symptoms across scales. However, an interaction between alpha and R/S (p = .02, ?p2 = 0.062) was observed, where greater R/S predicted fewer symptoms with low alpha but high alpha predicted fewer symptoms with lower R/S. Limitations. Small-to-medium effect sizes and homogeneity of sample demographics caution overall interpretation and generalizability. Conclusions. Findings revealed a complementary role of R/S and alpha in that either variable exerted protective effects only if the other was present at low levels. These findings confirm the relevance of R/S importance and alpha oscillations as predictors of depression symptom severity. More research is needed on the neurobiological mechanism underlying the protective effects of R/S importance for MDD.
Key Words: EEG alpha; depression risk; religion/spirituality; longitudinal design; mixed-effects model; health outcome