Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30278789›Full record

SynthesisThe American journal of psychiatry2019

Electroencephalographic Biomarkers for Treatment Response Prediction in Major Depressive Illness: A Meta-Analysis.

Alik S Widge, M Taha Bilge, Rebecca Montana, Weilynn Chang, Carolyn I Rodriguez, Thilo Deckersbach, Linda L Carpenter, Ned H Kalin, Charles B Nemeroff

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The American journal of psychiatry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 93 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
93citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

93 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  19. Neurofeedback in Major Depression.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
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33 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Alik S WidgeFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
M Taha BilgeFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
Rebecca MontanaFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
Weilynn ChangFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
Carolyn I RodriguezFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
Thilo DeckersbachFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
Linda L CarpenterFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
Ned H KalinFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
Charles B NemeroffFrom the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston; the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; the Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.; Butler Hospital and Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.

Funding

Combined Cortical and Subcortical Recording and Stimulation as a Circuit-Oriented Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderUH3NS100548 · NINDS · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI DOUGHERTY, DARIN D, WIDGE, ALIK S. · 2016 to 2024
$3.2M
Synchronizing a Fear Regulation Circuit By Temporally Patterned Closed-LoopNeurostimulationR21MH109722 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI WIDGE, ALIK S. · 2016 to 2017
$444k
NIMH NIH HHS R21 MH109722NINDS NIH HHS UH3 NS100548
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveReducing unsuccessful treatment trials could improve depression treatment. Quantitative EEG (QEEG) may predict treatment response and is being commercially marketed for this purpose. The authors sought to quantify the reliability of QEEG for response prediction in depressive illness and to identify methodological limitations of the available evidence.

methodThe authors conducted a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy for QEEG in depressive illness, based on articles published between January 2000 and November 2017. The review included all articles that used QEEG to predict response during a major depressive episode, regardless of patient population, treatment, or QEEG marker. The primary meta-analytic outcome was the accuracy for predicting response to depression treatment, expressed as sensitivity, specificity, and the logarithm of the diagnostic odds ratio. Raters also judged each article on indicators of good research practice.

resultsIn 76 articles reporting 81 biomarkers, the meta-analytic estimates showed a sensitivity of 0.72 (95% CI=0.67-0.76) and a specificity of 0.68 (95% CI=0.63-0.73). The logarithm of the diagnostic odds ratio was 1.89 (95% CI=1.56-2.21), and the area under the receiver operator curve was 0.76 (95% CI=0.71-0.80). No specific QEEG biomarker or specific treatment showed greater predictive power than the all-studies estimate in a meta-regression. Funnel plot analysis suggested substantial publication bias. Most studies did not use ideal practices.

conclusionsQEEG does not appear to be clinically reliable for predicting depression treatment response, as the literature is limited by underreporting of negative results, a lack of out-of-sample validation, and insufficient direct replication of previous findings. Until these limitations are remedied, QEEG is not recommended for guiding selection of psychiatric treatment.

Indexed as

Major Depressive DisorderAntidepressive AgentsCognitive Behavioral TherapyElectroencephalographyHumansPredictive Value of TestsPrognosisReproducibility of ResultsAntidepressive AgentsBiological MarkersMood Disorders-UnipolarNeurophysiology

Identifiers

PMID30278789
PMCPMC6312739

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.