The Role of Biomarkers Derived from Emotional Continuous Performance Tasks in the Diagnosis of Depression in Women and Men

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of biomarkers (omission error, commission error, reaction time, reaction time variability) derived from ECPT in diagnosing depression in patients, as well as examining the possible role of gender in this disorder. This research was conducted using non-experimental causal-comparative method. The statistical population of the present study was all patients referred to Atieh Clinic located in Tehran, Iran. The sampling method was convenience sampling, and the participants were selected based on the clinical criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) at the clinic 2017-18: (depressed: 29 females and 21 males, normal:19 females and 31 males). The instrument used in this study was the Emotional Continuous Performance Assignment (ECPT). The research hypothesis was tested by factor analysis of variance (gender * group). The results showed that the mean omission error and commission error in depressed men were higher than that of normal men. Also, the mean reaction time variability was higher in women. According to the results, depression in men seems to affect the cognitive system more severely than it does in women. In addition, it can be concluded that these biomarkers do not seem to be effective enough in diagnosing depression.