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Measures of anhedonia and hedonic responses to sucrose in depressive and schizophrenic patients in comparison with healthy subjects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

I Berlin ,
L Givry-Steiner ,
Y Lecrubier  and
AJ Puech
I Berlin
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Pharmacology
L Givry-Steiner
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Pharmacology
Y Lecrubier
Affiliation:
INSERM Unité 302, Psychopathology of Behaviours, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47, Bd de L'Hôpital, 75634Paris cedex 13, France
AJ Puech
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Pharmacology
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Summary

Anhedonia may be considered as a transnosological feature of depression and schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to assess hedonic responses to sucrose solutions and sweet taste perception threshold in patients with major depression and in schizophrenic patients in comparison with healthy subjects (matched for age and gender with depressive patients), and to compare these responses to evaluations by the Physical and Social Anhedonia scale of Chapman and the Pleasure Scale of Fawcett, generally used to quantify anhedonia. Hedonic responses to sucrose solutions were similar in patients with major depression (n = 20), schizophrenia (n = 20), and healthy controls (n = 20). Sweet taste perception threshold was significantly higher in depressive patients than in controls. Hedonic response to sucrose was inversely correlated with physical Anhedonia Scores and sweet taste perception threshold with Pleasure Scale scores. Measures of hedonia/anhedonia were not related with the intensity of depression or anxiety as measured by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale, respectively. In 11 depressed patients hospitalised for 17 to 33 days, neither hedonic ratings to sucrose solutions, sweet taste perception threshold, Physical, Social Anhedonia scores nor Pleasure Scale scores were modified in spite of substantial decrease in MADRS or Hamilton Anxiety scores. Hedonic responses to sucrose solutions and sweet taste perception threshold may be used as complementary evaluation to quantify anhedonia.

Keywords

hedonic response to sucrosesweet taste perceptionmajor depressionschizophrenia
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 13 , Issue 6 , September 1998 , pp. 303 - 309
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1998

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