This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Martin H. Teicher, MD, PhD; Carol A. Glod, RN, PhD; Eleanor Magnus; David Harper; Gregory Benson; Kathryn Krueger, MD; Cynthia E. McGreenery

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997;54(2):124-130.

Abstract
Background
Previous studies hypothesized that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) was caused by a circadian rhythm abnormality. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether rest-activity rhythms were phase delayed, diminished in amplitude, or more poorly entrained to the 24-hour day.

Method
Twenty healthy adult controls and 25 outpatients meeting Rosenthal—National Institute of Mental Health criteria for SAD and DSM-III-R criteria for major or bipolar depression with seasonal pattern had their levels of activity recorded for 72 hours (weekdays) using wrist-worn actigraphs.

Results
Subjects with SAD had activity levels that were 11% lower than controls (P=.03), and their levels of activity were most attenuated during the first 2 hours after arising (P=.004). The relative amplitude of the circadian rhythm did not differ between groups. Patients with SAD were phase delayed by 50 minutes for the entire period (P=.02). Analysis of each individual day indicated that patients were delayed by up to 70 minutes (P=.007). Interdaily stability, an index of coupling between the rhythm and its zeitgeber was reduced in SAD (P=.01). Compared with controls, patients with SAD had best-fit circadian periods that were 92% more deviated from 24 hours (P=.007) and daily acrophase (time of the peak of the fit circadian rhythm) times that were 110% more variable between days (P<.001).

Conclusions
Patients with SAD have circadian restactivity rhythms that are significantly phase delayed and more poorly entrained to the 24-hour day.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass (Drs Teicher, Glod, and Krueger); the Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program and Clinical Chronobiology Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass (Drs Teicher, Glod, and Krueger, Mss Magnus and McGreenery, and Messrs Harper and Benson); and Northeastern University College of Nursing, Boston (Dr Glod).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The circadian basis of winter depression
Lewy et al.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2006;103:7414-7419.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Aetiology and pathogenesis of mood disorders
Sher
QJM 2003;96:309-313.
FULL TEXT  

Towards new models of disease and physiology in the neurosciences: the role of induced and naturally occurring mutations
Hunter et al.
Hum Mol Genet 2000;9:893-900.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Bright light and high density negative air ionisation reduced symptoms in seasonal affective disorder
Partonen
Evid. Based Ment. Health 1999;2:87-87.
FULL TEXT  

Seasonal Affective Disorder in Children and Adolescents
Glod and Baisden
J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc 1999;5:29-33.
 

Morning vs Evening Light Treatment of Patients With Winter Depression
Lewy et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1998;55:890-896.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Is Perception of Light Useful to the Blind Patient?
Ross
Arch Ophthalmol 1998;116:236-238.
FULL TEXT