Visual pathway function in untreated individuals with major depression.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Major depression (MD) is a globally prevalent and debilitating mental health condition.
• Understanding the physiological underpinnings of MD is crucial for developing objective diagnostic tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate visual pathway function in individuals with newly diagnosed, untreated major depression.
• To determine if pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEPs) can serve as a biomarker for MD.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated 29 untreated MD patients and 29 healthy controls using best corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), slit-lamp biomicroscopy, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV)-standard PVEPs.
• Assessed correlation between PVEPs parameters and depression severity (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale - HAMD).
• Utilized receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to evaluate the diagnostic power of PVEPs.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in clinical eye examinations or macular structure between MD patients and controls.
• MD patients showed reduced P100 amplitudes (AP100) and prolonged P100 peak times (PTP100) in PVEPs, particularly at a 0°16' check size.
• AP100 reduction was observed in 69% of MD individuals; PTP100 correlated positively with HAMD scores in severe MD.
• ROC analysis indicated high sensitivity (0.759) and specificity (1.0) for AP100 (0°16'), with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.841.

Conclusions:

• Untreated MD patients exhibit visual pathway dysfunction without other ocular abnormalities.
• ISCEV-standard PVEPs measurements reveal objective alterations in visual pathway function.
• PVEPs hold potential as an objective biomarker for diagnosing major depression.