Electroencephalographic asymmetries in adolescents with major depression: Influence of comorbidity with anxiety disorders

This study examined whether adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD ) display the abnormal electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha asymmetries foun d in depressed adults. Resting EEG was recorded in 25 right-handed female o utpatients (19 with MDD, 11 of whom also had a current anxiety disorder: 6 with anxiety disorders only) and 10 non-ill controls. In contrast to the no n-ill controls, adolescents having MDD but no anxiety disorder showed alpha asymmetry indicative of less activation over right than over left posterio r sites. Within the MDD patient group, comorbid anxiety disorders reduced t he posterior alpha asymmetry, supporting the potential importance of evalua ting anxiety in studies of regional brain activation in adolescent MDD. The se preliminary findings are similar to those from adult studies that sugges t that MDD is associated with right parietotemporal hypoactivation.