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Published on: August 11, 2015
Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) tasting and reported depression
Abstract:
The phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste test was investigated for its potential as a genetically based biological marker for depression. One hundred and one male and female adults (including 6 patients hospitalized for depression), aged 18-36, completed a multifactor depression questionnaire that included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a scale that measures severity of depression in mother and father, and a commercially prepared PTC (paper) taste test. As predicted, PTC tasters reported significantly higher levels of depression on the BDI than nontasters (p less than .05); also, they scored higher on 5 of the 21 items (p less than .05). Significantly more subjects who reported a mother debilitated by depression were PTC tasters (p less than .05). Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.
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