Outpatients (n = 41; 17 male) from the Depression Evaluation Service at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and healthy controls (n = 41; 17 male) with no history of psychopathology were recruited from the New York metropolitan area. Participants were right-handed as indicated by their Laterality Quotient (LQ > 0) on the Edinburgh Inventory (35). Participants were excluded for any of the following reasons: serious suicide risk, current substance use disorders (including alcohol abuse), psychotic disorders, seizure disorder, a history of head trauma, or other neurological disorder. Control participants were screened using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, nonpatient edition (36) to exclude those with current or past psychopathology. The diagnostic assessment and treatment of patients were carried out by research psychiatrists. Patients met DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 22), dysthymia (n = 7), both disorders (n = 10), or depression not otherwise specified (n = 2). Five patients had a comorbid anxiety disorder. Beck Depression Inventory (37) scores of patients ranged from 13–55 (mean = 24.0 ±8.3; n = 39). All participants were paid $15 per hour. The study was approved by the institutional review board, and all participants signed an informed consent form.
