MMN-Indexed Auditory Change Detection in Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

In major depressive disorder (MDD), event-related potentials that are involved in auditory cortex function (i.e. N100 and P300) often have greater latencies and decreased amplitudes. The auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) is thought to be produced by generators in the auditory cortex, as well as the frontal lobes. Reports on differences in MMN in those with MDD have been varied. It was hypothesized that the wide range of results in the literature may be due to the use of different deviant types in eliciting the MMN. To attempt and explain these inconsistencies, the current study employed a multifeature MMN paradigm with 5 deviant tone types in community-dwelling participants with a diagnosis of MDD. We found those with MDD had higher MMN amplitudes following tones that deviated in intensity and location, but no difference in MMNs elicted by the other deivants (relative to unaffected controls). Location MMN deviants were negatively correlated with depression severity scores (i.e. larger MMN with greater severity). We also found longer MMN latencies following the pitch deviant. These results suggest the early auditory change detection process is altered in MDD, but only following certain types of auditory stimuli. Potential explanations for these findings, including high levels of anxiety and the influence of tryptophan are explored. Equally, the current report highlights the importance of using various deviant types when examining the MMN in clinical populations.

Electrophysiological correlates and predictors of the antidepressant response to repeated ketamine infusions in treatment-resistant depression

“…Certain studies in MDD populations have found reduced (i.e. decreased amplitude, Qiao et al, 2013;Takei et al, 2009) as well as increased (Bissonnette et al, 2020;He et al, 2010;Kähkönen et al, 2007;Restuccia et al, 2016) MMN amplitudes, and longer latencies (Bissonnette et al, 2020;Qiao et al, 2013). A recent study also identified a potential link between MMN amplitude and functional outcomes in MDD patients (Kim et al, 2020).…”

Discriminative Power of EEG-Based Biomarkers in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review

“…They found that first-episode patients had lower MMN amplitudes compared to healthy controls, while no differences were found between the recurrent and firstepisode groups. A similar experimental procedure was used by Bissonnette et al[88] to compare MMN amplitudes between MDD patients and healthy subjects. However, MDD and BD groups did not significantly differ from healthy subjects.…”

Does mismatch negativity have utility for NMDA receptor drug development in depression?

“…Functionally, the MMN latency represents the point at which the distinction between the standard and deviant stimuli is registered, which adds in a much stronger dependency on the generation of the early and midcomponents of the standard and deviant auditory evoked potentials. There is a litany of factors linked with changes in latency, including stimulus presentation rate, 79 complexity of the stimuli, 80 and cognitive ability. 81 In the context of the Schmidt model, 40 this would point at changes in the flexibility of the PAC to adapt to incoming neural signals.…”

“…As is to be expected, based on the history of the MMN findings described thus far, there remains significant variation in the symptom correlations associated with the paradigm used. Bissonnette et al 79 found a significant negative correlation between the location-deviant MMN amplitude and the depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D), whereas Naismith et al 96 noted a correlation between pitch-deviant MMN amplitude and semantic fluency scores. It should be noted that in the latter of these examples, the MMN amplitudes were taken from temporal cortex electrodes in late-life depression patients, which raises the possibility that this correlation is driven by age-related deterioration, comorbid mild cognitive impairment, or both.…”

“…In its own right, the variation of the paradigm parameters provides useful insight into the nuances of NMDA antagonism between different patterns of neural circuitry. The drawback, however, is the limited supply of multivariate study designs that accurately capture the full range of the MMN (e.g., Bissonnette et al 79 ).…”