TEMPERATURE RHYTHM OF PATIENTS WITH MAJOR AFFECTIVE-DISORDERS - REDUCED CIRCADIAN PERIOD LENGTH

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.