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Nocturnal motor activity and light exposure: Objective actigraphy-based marks of melancholic and non-melancholic
André Comiran Tonon1, Daniel Fernando Paludo Fuchs1, William Barbosa Gomes2
1Laboratório de Cronobiologia e Sono, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Abstract:
Differentiation of melancholic (MEL) and non-melancholic (N-MEL) depression results from subjective assessment of psychomotor disturbance, which obscures their accurate diagnosis. CORE instrument assigned participants with severe or refractory depression to MEL or N-MEL group. Participants underwent 7 days of actigraphy. Data was fitted to a cosinusoidal curve corresponding to a 24-h rhythm. Nocturnal activity was significantly higher in N-MEL. ROC curve shows that average night activity discriminate participants with 71% sensitivity and 100% specificity (area under the curve = 0.84). Actigraphy contribute to the objective differentiation of depression subtypes, and have implications for research on their neurobiology and clinical management.
