Change in Brain Function With Placebo

To the Editor: I read the intriguing report by Andrew F. Leuchter et al., M.D. (1), of a comparison of brain quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) in depressed subjects who received placebo and in those who received an antidepressant (fluoxetine or venlafaxine). For unknown reasons, the authors described the collection of QEEG measures at the end of the 1-week placebo lead-in period (1 week after baseline) but neglected to report these data.

According to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores given in the article, much of the clinical improvement occurred early (by 1 week after baseline). If this is true, then QEEG data collected temporally closest to that transition could be the most informative. The most informative data from this study should not be left out of this article.