Nocturnal motor activity and light exposure: Objective actigraphy-based marks of melancholic and non-melancholic depressive disorder. Brief report

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 258; pp. 587 - 590
• Main Authors: Tonon, André Comiran, Fuchs, Daniel Fernando Paludo, Barbosa Gomes, William, Levandovski, Rosa, Pio de Almeida Fleck, Marcelo, Hidalgo, Maria Paz Loayza, da Silva Alencastro, Luciano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01-12-2017
• Subjects: Actigraphy; Adult; Area Under Curve; Chronobiology; Circadian Rhythm - radiation effects; Clinical markers; Darkness; Depression; Depressive Disorder - classification; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - physiopathology; Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant - classification; Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant - physiopathology; Female; Humans; Male; Melancholy; Middle Aged; Motor Activity - radiation effects; Psychomotor Disorders - diagnosis; Psychomotor Disorders - physiopathology; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; Actigraphy; Depression; Clinical markers; Chronobiology; Melancholy
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.08.025

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.
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•Nocturnal activity differentiates melancholic from non-melancholic depression.•Patterns of activity differ between groups, regardless of the severity of symptoms.•Actigraphy can objectively assess melancholic features.