EEG in 1-week, 1-month and 3-month-old infants of depressed and non-depressed mothers

EEGs were examined in data collected from 348 1-week, 1-month and 3-month-old infants of depressed and non-depressed mothers across several studies. Both the percentage of infants exhibiting spectral peaks and the frequency in Hz at which those peaks were exhibited increased with age. Consistent with previous studies, infants of depressed mothers exhibited greater left frontal EEG power, suggesting greater relative right frontal EEG activity than infants of non-depressed mothers. This profile was apparent across a narrow frequency range, which shifted from 3-9 Hz at 1 week of age to 4-9 Hz by 3 months of age. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.