Relationships between EEG and biochemical parameters in major depressive disorder

Twenty-five patients with major depressive disorder according to RDC were examined with computerized quantitative EEG before antidepressive treatment. Normal EEGs were found in 20 patients and slight abnormality in five cases. Relationships between various EEG variables and pretreatment accumulation rate of 14C-5-HT and 3H-NA in rat synaptosomes, incubated in patients' plasma, and 5-HT in whole blood were studied. Age and current treatment with benzodiazepines were taken into account. There was an inverse relationship between alpha-1 amplitude in all derivations and beta-2 amplitude in the parieto-occipital derivation on one hand and pretreatment 14C-5-HT synaptosomal accumulation rate on the other. This result indicates that low 14C-5-HT synaptosomal accumulation rate is related to increased EEG alertness. This EEG pattern is suggested to be associated with a serotonergic subgroup of depression. The relationships between the other biochemical variables and the EEG patterns did not show any consistent pattern.