Passive event-related potentials to a single tone in treatment-resistant depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder patients.

PURPOSE: Treatment-resistant depression is comorbid with personality or anxiety disorder; how passive attention functions in these disorders remains unknown. A single tone-elicited event-related potential P3 component (passive P3) might help to characterize the passive attention in these disorders.

METHODS

The passive P3 test was applied to 32 patients with treatment-resistant depression, 35 with generalized anxiety disorder, and 21 with borderline personality disorder, as well as to 31 healthy volunteers. The Zung Self-rating Depression and Anxiety Scales were used to measure the respective depression and anxiety levels in these participants.

RESULTS

All patients scored significantly higher on depression and anxiety than the healthy participants did. P3 amplitude was significantly reduced in groups with treatment-resistant depression and generalized anxiety disorder but not in the group with borderline personality disorder or healthy controls. Anxiety level was negatively correlated with P3 amplitude in healthy controls rather than in other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study did not discriminate treatment-resistant depression and generalized anxiety disorder regarding the passive P3 but suggested that there was a generalized impairment of passive attention in these disorders.