Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of the current study was to identify a possible locus of dysfunction in the visual system of depressed patients.Materials and MethodsFifty Major Depressive patients aged 21–60 years and 15 age-matched controls took part in the study The diagnosis was obtained with the SCAN v 2.0. The psychometric assessment included the HDRS, the HAS, the Newcastle Scales, the Diagnostic Melancholia Scale and the GAF scale. Flash Electroretinogram and Electrooculogram were performed in all subjects. The statistical analysis included ANCOVA, Student's t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient were used.ResultsThe Electro-oculographic findings suggested that all subtypes of depressed patients had lower dark trough and light peak values in comparison to controls (p < 0.001), while Arden ratios were within normal range. Electroretinographic recordings did not reveal any differences between patients and controls or between subtypes of depression.DiscussionThe findings of the current study provide empirical data in order to assist in the understanding of the international literature and to explain the mechanism of action of therapies like sleep deprivation and light therapy.
Highlights
The aim of the current study was to identify a possible locus of dysfunction in the visual system of depressed patients
The Electro-oculographic findings suggested that all subtypes of depressed patients had lower dark trough and light peak values in comparison to controls (p < 0.001), while Arden ratios were within normal range
The systematic development of the method of electro-oculogram was made mainly by Arden [24,25] and the conditions for EOG recording have been coded by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) [26] and this was kept in the current study
Summary
The aim of the current study was to identify a possible locus of dysfunction in the visual system of depressed patients. The definition of 'depression' according to both classification systems [1,2,3], is based on the definition of the depressive episode. In spite of early reports [4,5,6,7], today the only report which seems to survive is not the favourable response of atypical patients to MAOIs, but their resistance to TCAs. One of the theories concerning the etiopathogenesis of depression suggests that a disturbance of biological rhythms is the core feature [8]. One of the theories concerning the etiopathogenesis of depression suggests that a disturbance of biological rhythms is the core feature [8] This disturbance is better studied in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a (page number not for citation purposes)
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