The Influence of Various Antidepressants on Heart Rate and Electrodermal Activity during Psychophysiological Examinations of Depressive Patients

The aim of our investigation was to examine the effects of different antidepressants on the variables of heart rate and electrodermal activity. Heart rate and parameters of electrodermal activity which are important for psychophysiology were investigated in groups of depressed inpatients with different treatment (no antidepressant, noradrenergic antidepressant [imipramine/reboxetin], serotonergic antidepressant [paroxetine]). The values of electrodermal parameters were the lowest in the group with noradrinergic antidepressant. There was a reversed pattern for the heart rate. This findings points to a different effect of imipramine/reboxetin versus paroxetine on psychophysiological data.