Normalization of Enhanced Fear Recognition by Acute SSRI Treatment in Subjects With a Previous History of Depression

• Published in: The American journal of psychiatry Vol. 161; no. 1; pp. 166 - 168
• Main Authors: Bhagwagar, Zubin, Cowen, Philip J., Goodwin, Guy M., Harmer, Catherine J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychiatric Publishing 01.01.2004; American Psychiatric Association
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Citalopram; Citalopram - pharmacology; Citalopram - therapeutic use; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder, Major - drug therapy; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Double-Blind Method; Emotion recognition; Facial Expression; Facial expressions; Fear; Fear & phobias; Female; Humans; Medical sciences; Medical treatment; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Neuropharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Recognition (Psychology) - drug effects; Risk factors; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacology; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Treatment; Women; Relapse; Psychotropic; Cognition; Reuptake inhibitor; Citalopram; Dose activity relation; Antidepressant agent; Adult; Female; Face; Human; Mood disorder; Social perception; Serotonin; Treatment efficiency; Single dose; Depression; Emotion emotionality; Vulnerability; Experimental study; Fear; Chemotherapy; Treatment; Young adult; Antecedent; Comparative study; Facial expression
• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.161.1.166
• ISSN: 0002-953X

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to 1) assess facial expression recognition in subjects with a previous history of major depressive disorder relative to subjects with no history of depression and 2) characterize the effects of acute citalopram infusion on recognition performance for both groups. METHOD: Unmedicated euthymic women with a history of major depression and matched comparison subjects with no history of depression were given a facial expression recognition task following intravenous infusion of saline or citalopram (10 mg) in a double-blind, between-group design. RESULTS: Following saline infusion, subjects with a previous history of depression showed a selectively greater recognition of fear relative to the subjects with no history of depression. The abnormal fear processing observed in the subjects with a previous history of depression was normalized following citalopram infusion, an effect that was opposite to that seen with the subjects with no history of depression. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that increased recognition of fear is a trait vulnerability marker for depression and that this is normalized following a single dose of citalopram.