The effect of depression on the peak alpha frequency as a biomarker of pain sensitivity

Abstract

Objective: To assess how Peak Alpha Frequency (PAF) as a neurophysiological biomarker of pain sensitivity is influenced by conditions often comorbid with chronic pain, e.g., depression, and how methodological differences in deriving PAF, e.g., from Eyes-open (EO) vs. Eyes-closed (EC) EEG recordings affect this association. Methods: We analyzed data from 47 participants (70 % female) aged 18–51 years (M = 25.0, SD = 6.50). Among them, all participants underwent EO EEG recording but only a subset of 25 participants underwent both EO and EC recording. Depression (Patient Health Quotient – 9 M = 4.49, SD = 3.96) and sensitivity to heat pain were measured. Results: In EO, Spearman correlations sh..