A power analysis for future clinical trials on the potential adverse effects of SSRIs on amygdala reactivity

Treatment of adolescents with antidepressants may induce an increased risk for suicidality in this population. The activity of the amygdala during processing of emotional faces with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging （fMRI） is a well-known measure of emotional dysregulation. Based upon data of our prematurely ended randomized clinical trial with fluoxetine （NTR3103） in anxious and or depressed girls （12-14 years of age） we calculated that with the found effect size of r = 0.66, compared to placebo, only 8 subjects are heeded to demonstrate increased amygdala activity following 16 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine.