Multi-domain feature analysis for depression: a study of N170 in time, frequency and spatial domains simultaneously

This study investigated the differences in event-related potentials (ERPs) between depression and normal control groups by using the cue-target paradigm with facial expressions as stimuli. Conventional ERPs analysis did not show a significant difference in the N170 amplitude or latency between the two groups. However, the multi-domain feature analysis of N170 by nonnegative tensor factorization (NTF) indicated that N170 in depression group had lower power compared with the normal control group for all three different emotional (i.e., happy, neutral, and sad) facial stimuli (Q ≤ 0.05). The results revealed the perceptual early-stage dysfunction in face processing for depression.