Cognitive Evidence on EEG-P300 in Healthy Individuals with High Depression Scores

Abstract

Background: Depression is common among elderly and middle-aged individuals and is a reason for decreased quality of life. Depression may lead to impairments in cognitive abilities. The P300 potential is one of the most used event-related potentials (ERPs) to evaluate cognition. This study investigated the P300 amplitude differences between individuals with depressive symptoms and nondepressed healthy elderly individuals. Materials and Methods: The current study included twenty individuals with high depression scores (high DS, age: 64.80 ± 7.22, 6 M/14 F) and twenty demographically matched participants with low depression scores (low DS, age: 64.20 ± 6.21, 7 M/13 F). The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to evaluate whether participants have depressive symptoms. All of the participants were underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The ERPs were recorded with a visual classical oddball paradigm. The P300 amplitudes were measured in the 250–550 ms time window. Results: High DS group had lower P300 amplitudes than low DS individuals regardless of electrode location. Correlation analyses showed that there was a significant correlation between GDS scores and the P300 amplitudes recorded from the Fz electrode. Conclusion: The current study showed the reduced P300 amplitudes on individuals with high GDS scores. The P300 potential may be a useful tool to determine possible changes or impairments due to subthreshold depressive symptoms.