Spectral features of EEG in depression

The aim of this study was to find distinctions of the EEG signal in female depression. Experiments were carried out on two groups of 18 female volunteers each: a group of patients with depressive disorder who were not on medication and a group of control subjects. Patients who had Hamilton depression rating scores higher than 14 were selected. Resting EEG was recorded for the duration of 30 min. Spectral asymmetry (SA) of the EEG spectrum was estimated as relative difference in the selected higher and lower EEG frequency band power. Calculated SA values were positive for depressive and negative for healthy subjects (except for 2–3 subjects). The values behaved similarly in all EEG channels and brain hemispheres. Differences in SA between depressive and control groups were significant in all EEG channels. Dependence of SA on EGG signal length appeared not to be identical for depressive and healthy subjects. Our results suggest that SA based on balance between the powers of the higher and the lower EEG frequency bands seems to enable characterization of the EEG in depression.