An Analysis of the Covarianec of Two Endophenotypic Markers for Depression: Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Frontal EEG Asymmetry

Abstract

In this study, I examined how two psychophysiological metrics that have both independently been implicated in depression co-vary with one another within individuals over time: frontal EEG asymmetry and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). I hypothesized that, within subjects, short epochs of higher RSA, normally indicating low depressive status, would correlate with higher scores on frontal EEG asymmetry, reflecting greater relative left frontal activity like that seen among those with low depressive status. No statistically significant relationship between the two metrics was observed. Future work might investigate whether changes in one system would lead to changes in the other, as only simultaneous changes were examined in the present study.