A. Bicakovarocher et al., TEMPERATURE RHYTHM OF PATIENTS WITH MAJOR AFFECTIVE-DISORDERS - REDUCED CIRCADIAN PERIOD LENGTH, Chronobiology international, 13(1), 1996, pp. 47-57
The aim of the study was to explore circadian alterations of the tempe
rature rhythm in adults with Major Affective Disorders (DSM III-R:296.
xx). The axillary temperature of 56 inpatients was recorded (6-min int
ervals for at least a 48-h span) when major clinical symptoms occurred
and thereafter during the remission. Periods (tau s) of the temperatu
re rhythm were accurately quantified from individual time series by po
wer spectra analyses. Twenty-seven subjects with no affective disorder
s served as controls. Histograms of the frequency distribution of tau
s, chi square, and so forth were used as statistical methods. In both
patients and controls a multimodal distribution of prominent tau s was
observed. However, in controls this distribution showed the highest f
requency (88.9%) with tau s = 24 h, and seldom tau s < 24 h or tau s >
24 h, while in patients with major affective disorders, tau s exhibit
ed a statistically significant (chi(2) = 10.84; p < 0.004) different d
istribution with the highest frequency for tau s < 24 h in 50% of the
patients. Subjects diagnosed as suffering from Major Affective Disorde
rs commonly exhibit a period shorter than 24 h in the axillary tempera
ture circadian rhythm suggestive of a desynchronized time structure.