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Abstract
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AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine whether depression and anxiety disorder manifest different autonomic dysregulations using heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate (HR) measurements.
METHODS: HRV and HR were recorded both at rest and during task execution (random number generation) in the first-onset drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 14) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD, n = 11) as well as in healthy controls (n = 41). The patients showed no comorbidity of depression and anxiety disorder. GAD patients did not exhibit panic or phobic symptoms at the time of measurement. Following power spectrum analysis of HR trend, the high and low frequency components (HF and LF), the sum (LF+HF) and the ratio (LF/HF) of LF and HF were compared between the groups.
RESULTS: In the MDD patients, as previously reported, HF was low and LF/HF was high during the initial rest condition, and that HF was less reactive to the task. In contrast, GAD patients showed significantly high HF, although autonomic reactivity was not impaired.
CONCLUSION: The results indicate that not only the baseline autonomic activity but also its reactivity to behavioral changes are different between MDD and GAD in the early stage of illness. High parasympathetic tone in GAD may reflect responses of parasympathetic system to anxiety. MDD is accompanied by an autonomic shift toward sympathetic activation and a reduced reactivity to task.
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Language: en |