Resting posterior alpha power and adolescent major depressive disorder
Akina Umemotoa, Lidia Y.X. Panierb, Sally L. Colea, Jürgen Kaysera,b, Diego A. Pizzagallic,d, Randy P. Auerbacha,b,e
aDepartment of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; bNew York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA; cDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA; dCenter for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; eDivision of Clinical Developmental Neuroscience, Sackler Institute, USA
Received 25 February 2021; revised 28 June 2021; accepted 4 July 2021; available online 8 July 2021.
Abstract
For several decades, resting electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha oscillations have been used to characterize neurophysiological alterations related to major depressive disorder. Prior research has generally focused on frontal alpha power and asymmetry despite resting alpha being maximal over posterior electrode sites. Research in depressed adults has shown evidence of hemispheric asymmetry for posterior alpha power, however, the resting posterior alpha-depression link among adolescents remains unclear. To clarify the role of posterior alpha among depressed adolescents, the current study acquired eyes-closed 128-channel resting EEG data from 13 to 18 year-old depressed (n = 31) and healthy (n = 35) female adolescents. Results indicated a significant group by hemisphere interaction, as depressed adolescents exhibited significantly larger posterior alpha (i.e., lower brain activity) over the right versus left hemisphere, whereas healthy adolescents showed no hemispheric differences. Relatively greater alpha over the right versus left hemisphere correlated with depression symptoms, anhedonia symptoms, rumination, and self-criticism. Further, depressed adolescents had reduced overall posterior alpha compared to healthy youth; though, no associations with symptoms and related traits emerged. Resting posterior alpha may be a promising neurophysiological index of adolescent depression, and more broadly, may relate to risk factors characterized by enhanced perseveration.
Key Words: Alpha asymmetry; Major depression; Adolescence; Rumination; Self-criticism; Anhedonia; Suicidal ideation; Suicidal behaviors