Relative Right Frontal EEG Activation in 3- to 6-Month-Old Infants of "Depressed" Mothers

Brain electrical activity (electroencephalogram; EEG) was recorded from left and right frontal (F) and parietal (P) scalp regions (F3, F4, P3, and P4, referenced to the central vertex site, Cz) in a sample of depressed and nondepressed mothers and their 3-6-month-old infants. A greater number of depressed mothers and their infants vs. nondepressed mothers and their infants displayed right frontal EEG asymmetry. These data indicate that the depressed affect exhibited by infants of depressed mothers is associated with a pattern of brain electrical activity similar to that found in inhibited infants and children and in chronically depressed adults. Further research is required to determine whether the EEG pattern is a marker of current or chronic mood state.