1
|
Beatty CC, Gair K, Anatala J, Klein DN, Hajcak G, Nelson BD. Neural response to monetary and social rewards and familial risk for psychopathology in adolescent females. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1768-1778. [PMID: 38173094 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723003720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence is a key developmental period for the emergence of psychopathology. Reward-related brain activity increases across adolescence and has been identified as a potential neurobiological mechanism of risk for different forms of psychopathology. The reward positivity (RewP) is an event-related potential component that indexes reward system activation and has been associated with both concurrent and family history of psychopathology. However, it is unclear whether the RewP is also associated with higher-order psychopathology subfactors and whether this relationship is present across different types of reward. METHODS In a sample of 193 adolescent females and a biological parent, the present study examined the association between adolescent and parental psychopathology subfactors and adolescent RewP to monetary and social reward. RESULTS Results indicated that the adolescent and parental distress subfactors were negatively associated with the adolescent domain-general RewP. The adolescent and parental positive mood subfactors were negatively associated with the adolescent domain-general and domain-specific monetary RewP, respectively. Conversely, the adolescent and parental fear/obsessions subfactors were positively associated with the adolescent domain-general RewP. The associations between parental and adolescent psychopathology subfactors and the adolescent RewP were independent of each other. CONCLUSIONS The RewP in adolescent females is associated with both concurrent and parental psychopathology symptoms, suggesting that it indexes both severity and risk for higher-order subfactors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clare C Beatty
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Kelly Gair
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Joy Anatala
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Brady D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rappaport BI, Kujawa A, Arfer KB, Pegg S, Kelly D, Jackson JJ, Luby JL, Barch DM. Behavioral and psychiatric correlates of brain responses to social feedback. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14413. [PMID: 37612834 PMCID: PMC10841166 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Maladaptive responses to peer acceptance and rejection arise in numerous psychiatric disorders in adolescence; yet, homogeneity and heterogeneity across disorders suggest common and unique mechanisms of impaired social function. We tested the hypothesis that social feedback is processed similarly to other forms of feedback (e.g., monetary) by examining the correspondence between the brain's response to social acceptance and rejection and behavioral performance on a separate reward and loss task. We also examined the relationship between these brain responses and depression and social anxiety severity. The sample consisted of one hundred and thirteen 16-21-year olds who received virtual peer acceptance/rejection feedback in an event-related potential (ERP) task. We used temporospatial principal component analysis and identified a component consistent with the reward positivity (RewP) or feedback negativity (FN). RewP to social acceptance was not significantly related to reward bias or the FN to social rejection related to loss avoidance. The relationship between RewP and depression severity, while nonsignificant, was of a similar magnitude to prior studies. Exploratory analyses yielded a significant relationship between lower socioeconomic status (SES) and blunted RewP and between lower SES and heightened loss avoidance and blunted reward bias. These findings build on prior work to improve our understanding of the function of the brain's response to social feedback, while also suggesting a pathway for further study, whereby poverty leads to depression via social and reward learning mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Autumn Kujawa
- Department of Psychology & Human Development Vanderbilt University
| | | | - Samantha Pegg
- Department of Psychology & Human Development Vanderbilt University
| | - Danielle Kelly
- Department of Psychiatry School of Medicine Washington University in St. Louis
| | | | - Joan L. Luby
- Department of Psychiatry School of Medicine Washington University in St. Louis
| | - Deanna M. Barch
- Psychological & Brain Science Washington University in St. Louis
- Department of Psychiatry School of Medicine Washington University in St. Louis
- Department of Radiology School of Medicine Washington University in St. Louis
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Whitton AE, Kumar P, Treadway MT, Rutherford AV, Ironside ML, Foti D, Fitzmaurice G, Du F, Pizzagalli DA. Distinct profiles of anhedonia and reward processing and their prospective associations with quality of life among individuals with mood disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:5272-5281. [PMID: 37402852 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02165-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Leading professional health bodies have called for the wider adoption of Patient Reported Outcome Measures, such as quality of life, in research and clinical practice as a means for understanding why the global burden of depression continues to climb despite increased rates of treatment use. Here, we examined whether anhedonia-an often recalcitrant and impairing symptom of depression-along with its neural correlates, was associated with longitudinal changes in patient-reported quality of life among individuals seeking treatment for mood disorders. We recruited 112 participants, including n = 80 individuals with mood disorders (58 unipolar, 22 bipolar) and n = 32 healthy controls (63.4% female). We assessed anhedonia severity along with two electroencephalographic markers of neural reward responsiveness (scalp-level 'Reward Positivity' amplitude and source-localized reward-related activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex), and assessed quality of life at baseline, 3- and 6-month follow-up. Anhedonia emerged as a robust correlate of quality of life cross-sectionally and longitudinally among individuals with mood disorders. Furthermore, increased neural reward responsiveness at baseline was associated with greater improvements in quality of life over time, and this improvement was mediated by longitudinal improvements in anhedonia severity. Finally, differences in quality of life observed between individuals with unipolar and bipolar mood disorders were mediated by differences in anhedonia severity. Our findings indicate that anhedonia and its reward-related neural correlates are linked to variability in quality of life over time in individuals with mood disorders. Treatments capable of improving anhedonia and normalizing brain reward function may be necessary for improving broader health outcomes for individuals seeking treatment for depression.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01976975.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis E Whitton
- Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- McLean Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Poornima Kumar
- McLean Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Dan Foti
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | | | - Fei Du
- McLean Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dell’Acqua C, Palomba D, Patron E, Messerotti Benvenuti S. Rethinking the risk for depression using the RDoC: A psychophysiological perspective. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1108275. [PMID: 36814670 PMCID: PMC9939768 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1108275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Considering that the classical categorical approach to mental disorders does not allow a clear identification of at-risk conditions, the dimensional approach provided by the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) is useful in the exploration of vulnerability to psychopathology. In the RDoC era, psychophysiological models have an important role in the reconceptualization of mental disorders. Indeed, progress in the study of depression vulnerability has increasingly been informed by psychophysiological models. By adopting an RDoC lens, this narrative review focuses on how psychophysiological models can be used to advance our knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying depression vulnerability. Findings from psychophysiological research that explored multiple RDoC domains in populations at-risk for depression are reviewed and discussed. Future directions for the application of psychophysiological research in reaching a more complete understanding of depression vulnerability and, ultimately, improving clinical utility, are presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carola Dell’Acqua
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy,*Correspondence: Carola Dell’Acqua, ✉
| | - Daniela Palomba
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Simone Messerotti Benvenuti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy,Hospital Psychology Unit, Padua University Hospital, Padua, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Liu Z, Wang M, Zhou X, Qin S, Zeng Z, Zhang Z. Reduced neural responses to reward reflect anhedonia and inattention: an ERP study. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17432. [PMID: 36261598 PMCID: PMC9581988 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21591-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
An inhibited neural response to reward is typical of clinical depression and can predict an individual's overall depressive symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying this are unclear. Previous studies have found that anhedonia and inattention may mediate the relationship between reward sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to verify the relationship between reward sensitivity and overall depressive symptoms in a depressive tendency sample as well as to explore the mechanism underlying the ability of neural responses to reward to predict overall depressive symptoms via a mediation model. Sixty-four participants (33 with depressive tendencies and 31 without; dichotomized by BDI-II) finished simple gambling tasks while their event-related potential components (ERPs) were recorded and compared. Linear regression was conducted to verify the predictive effect of ERPs on overall depressive symptoms. A multiple mediator model was used, with anhedonia and distractibility as mediators reward sensitivity and overall depressive symptoms. The amplitude of reward positivity (ΔRewP) was greater in healthy controls compared to those with depressive tendencies (p = 0.006). Both the gain-locked ERP component (b = - 1.183, p = 0.007) and the ΔRewP (b = - 0.991, p = 0.024) could significantly negatively predict overall depressive symptoms even after controlling for all anxiety symptoms. The indirect effects of anhedonia and distractibility were significant (both confidence intervals did not contain 0) while the direct effect of reward sensitivity on depressive symptom was not significant (lower confidence interval = - 0.320, upper confidence interval = 0.065). Individuals with depressive tendencies display impaired neural responses to reward compared to healthy controls and reduced individual neural responses to reward may reflect the different biotypes of depression such as anhedonia and inattention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengjie Liu
- grid.263906.80000 0001 0362 4044Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Mengyun Wang
- grid.7914.b0000 0004 1936 7443Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, 5000 Norway
| | - Xiaojuan Zhou
- grid.263906.80000 0001 0362 4044Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Shubao Qin
- grid.263906.80000 0001 0362 4044Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Ziyang Zeng
- grid.263906.80000 0001 0362 4044Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Zhongming Zhang
- grid.263906.80000 0001 0362 4044Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715 China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang S, Leri F, Rizvi SJ. Clinical and Preclinical Assessments of Anhedonia in Psychiatric Disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 58:3-21. [PMID: 35435647 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Anhedonia is a prevalent symptom across many psychiatric disorders. The contemporary scope of anhedonia across various models includes interest, reward anticipation, motivation, effort expenditure, reward valuation, expectation, pleasure, satiation, and learning. In order to further elucidate the impact of anhedonia on treatment outcomes, quality of life, as well as brain function, validated tools to probe the various facets of anhedonia are necessary. This chapter evaluates assessment tools for anhedonia in clinical populations and in animals. Subjective clinical scales have been in use for decades, and as the construct of anhedonia evolved, contemporary scales were developed to integrate these new concepts. Clinical scales are useful for understanding the subjective experience of anhedonia but do not account for objective aspects of anhedonia, including implicit learning. Behavioral tasks that probe responses to rewarding stimuli have been useful to fill this gap and to delineate the specific brain processes underlying facets of anhedonia. Although there have been translational challenges in the assessments of anhedonia and reward deficits from preclinical to clinical (and vice versa), the multifaceted clinical scales and reward tasks provide valuable insights into the conceptualization of anhedonia and its neural basis across psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shijing Wang
- Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Suicide and Depression Studies Unit, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Francesco Leri
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Sakina J Rizvi
- Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Suicide and Depression Studies Unit, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jiang CG, Lu H, Zhang JZ, Gao XZ, Wang J, Zhou ZH. The Neural Correlates of the Abnormal Implicit Self-Esteem in Major Depressive Disorder: An Event-Related Potential Study. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:822677. [PMID: 35859606 PMCID: PMC9289153 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.822677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Implicit self-esteem (ISE) has been considered a critical factor in the development and maintenance of major depressive disorder (MDD). Further investigating the event-related potential (ERP) characteristics underlying abnormal ISE in MDD would be helpful for understanding the neural mechanism of MDD. For this purpose, 32 MDD patients and 31 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used to evaluate explicit self-esteem (ESE), and a self-esteem go/no-go association task (GNAT) was used to assess ISE. Electroencephalograms were synchronously recorded when performing the self-esteem GNAT. Behavioral data and ERP characteristics under different conditions were analyzed and compared within and across groups. The results showed that compared to HCs, MDD patients had significantly lower RSES scores and self-D scores of GNAT, which reflected lower levels of ESE and ISE, respectively. No significant correlation was found between RESE and self-D scores, and only RESE scores were significantly negatively correlated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score. The averaged centroparietal go-P3 amplitude under the self-positive condition was significantly smaller in MDD than in HCs. Moreover, HCs had a significantly larger average centroparietal go-P3 amplitude in self-positive than in self-negative conditions, while this pattern was opposite in the MDD group. The neural activity patterns for other conditions were similar between MDD and HCs. Our results suggested that patients with MDD have a decreased level of both ESE and ISE, and ISE might be more independent of clinical symptoms. Decreased neural processing that implicitly associate self with positive conditions (and relatively increased implicit association between self and negative conditions) might be important neural correlates for abnormal ISE in MDD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Guang Jiang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Heng Lu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jia-Zhao Zhang
- 3 Grade 2019 Class 6, Basic Medicine College of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Xue-Zheng Gao
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Zhen-He Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Wuxi Mental Health Center of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Klein ME, Grice AB, Sheth S, Go M, Murrough JW. Pharmacological Treatments for Anhedonia. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 58:467-489. [PMID: 35507281 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Anhedonia - the reduced ability to experience or respond to pleasure - is an important symptom domain for many psychiatric disorders. It is particularly relevant to depression and other mood disorders and it is a diagnostic criterion of a major depressive episode. Developing safe and effective pharmacological interventions for anhedonia is a critical public health need. The current chapter will review the state of the field with respect to both the efficacy of currently available pharmacotherapies for anhedonia and the recent clinical research focusing on new brain targets, including the kappa-opioid receptor and the KCNQ2/3 receptors. The evidence for anti-anhedonic effects of ketamine and psychedelic agents will be reviewed, as well.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Klein
- Depression and Anxiety Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Ariela Buxbaum Grice
- Depression and Anxiety Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sahil Sheth
- Depression and Anxiety Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Megan Go
- Depression and Anxiety Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - James W Murrough
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Acheson DT, Vinograd M, Nievergelt CM, Yurgil KA, Moore TM, Risbrough VB, Baker DG. Prospective examination of pre-trauma anhedonia as a risk factor for post-traumatic stress symptoms. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2022; 13:2015949. [PMID: 35070161 PMCID: PMC8774051 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2021.2015949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anhedonia, the reduction of pleasure and reward-seeking behaviour, is a transdiagnostic symptom with well-described neural circuit mediators. Although typically observed during disease state, extant hypotheses suggest that anhedonia may also be an early risk factor for development of psychopathology. Understanding the contribution of anhedonia to the trauma-response trajectory may bolster inferences about biological mechanisms contributing to pre-trauma risk versus trauma-related symptom expression, knowledge of which could aid in targeted interventions. OBJECTIVE Using a prospective, longitudinal design in a population at risk for trauma disorders, we tested the hypothesis that anhedonia may be a pre-trauma risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. METHODS Adult male participants from the Marine Resilience Study (N = 2,593) were assessed across three time-points (pre-deployment, 3-month and 6-month post-deployment). An anhedonia factor was extracted from self-report instruments pre-trauma and tested for its relationship with development of PTSD re-experiencing symptoms after deployment. RESULTS Higher pre-deployment anhedonia predicted increased PTSD intrusive re-experiencing symptoms at 3- and 6-months post-deployment when controlling for pre-trauma PTSD and depression symptoms. Depression symptoms were not significant predictors of subsequent PTSD intrusive re-experiencing symptoms. Anhedonia at 3 mo also robustly predicted maintenance of PTSD intrusive re-experiencing symptoms at the 6 mo time point. CONCLUSIONS Pre-deployment anhedonia may be a pre-trauma risk factor for PTSD, not simply a state-dependent effect of trauma exposure and PTSD symptom expression. Anhedonia may contribute to persistence and/or chronicity of re-experiencing symptoms after the emergence of PTSD symptoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dean T Acheson
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Meghan Vinograd
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Caroline M Nievergelt
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kate A Yurgil
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences, Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Tyler M Moore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Victoria B Risbrough
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Dewleen G Baker
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Brolsma SCA, Vrijsen JN, Vassena E, Rostami Kandroodi M, Bergman MA, van Eijndhoven PF, Collard RM, den Ouden HEM, Schene AH, Cools R. Challenging the negative learning bias hypothesis of depression: reversal learning in a naturalistic psychiatric sample. Psychol Med 2022; 52:303-313. [PMID: 32538342 PMCID: PMC8842187 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720001956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Classic theories posit that depression is driven by a negative learning bias. Most studies supporting this proposition used small and selected samples, excluding patients with comorbidities. However, comorbidity between psychiatric disorders occurs in up to 70% of the population. Therefore, the generalizability of the negative bias hypothesis to a naturalistic psychiatric sample as well as the specificity of the bias to depression, remain unclear. In the present study, we tested the negative learning bias hypothesis in a large naturalistic sample of psychiatric patients, including depression, anxiety, addiction, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and/or autism. First, we assessed whether the negative bias hypothesis of depression generalized to a heterogeneous (and hence more naturalistic) depression sample compared with controls. Second, we assessed whether negative bias extends to other psychiatric disorders. Third, we adopted a dimensional approach, by using symptom severity as a way to assess associations across the sample. METHODS We administered a probabilistic reversal learning task to 217 patients and 81 healthy controls. According to the negative bias hypothesis, participants with depression should exhibit enhanced learning and flexibility based on punishment v. reward. We combined analyses of traditional measures with more sensitive computational modeling. RESULTS In contrast to previous findings, this sample of depressed patients with psychiatric comorbidities did not show a negative learning bias. CONCLUSIONS These results speak against the generalizability of the negative learning bias hypothesis to depressed patients with comorbidities. This study highlights the importance of investigating unselected samples of psychiatric patients, which represent the vast majority of the psychiatric population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie C. A. Brolsma
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Janna N. Vrijsen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Depression Expertise Centre, Pro Persona Mental Health Care, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Eliana Vassena
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Mojtaba Rostami Kandroodi
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - M. Annemiek Bergman
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Philip F. van Eijndhoven
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Rose M. Collard
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Hanneke E. M. den Ouden
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Aart H. Schene
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Roshan Cools
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Finan PH, Letzen J, Epstein DH, Mun CJ, Stull S, Kowalczyk WJ, Agage D, Phillips KA, Pizzagalli DA, Preston KL. Reward Responsiveness in Patients with Opioid Use Disorder on Opioid Agonist Treatment: Role of Comorbid Chronic Pain. PAIN MEDICINE 2021; 22:2019-2027. [PMID: 33624802 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnab031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Evidence suggests that blunted reward responsiveness may account for poor clinical outcomes in both opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain. Understanding how individuals with OUD and comorbid chronic pain (OUD+CP) respond to rewards is, therefore, of clinical interest because it may reveal a potential point of behavioral intervention. METHODS Patients with OUD (n = 28) and OUD+CP (n = 19) on opioid agonist treatment were compared on: 1) the Probabilistic Reward Task (an objective behavioral measure of reward response bias) and 2) ecological momentary assessment of affective responses to pleasurable events. RESULTS Both the OUD and the OUD+CP groups evidenced an increase in reward response bias in the Probabilistic Reward Task. The rate of change in response bias across blocks was statistically significant in the OUD group (B = 0.06, standard error [SE] = 0.02, t = 3.92, P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03 to 0.09) but not in the OUD+CP group (B = 0.03, SE = 0.02, t = 1.90, P = 0.07, 95% CI: -0.002 to 0.07). However, groups did not significantly differ in the rate of change in response bias across blocks (B = 0.03, SE = 0.02, t = 1.21, P = 0.23, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.07). Groups did not significantly differ on state measures of reward responsiveness (P's ≥0.50). CONCLUSIONS Overall, findings across objective and subjective measures were mixed, necessitating follow-up with a larger sample. The results suggest that although there is a reward response bias in patients with OUD+CP treated with opioid agonist treatment relative to patients with OUD without CP, it is modest and does not appear to translate into patients' responses to rewarding events as they unfold in daily life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick H Finan
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Janelle Letzen
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - David H Epstein
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Chung Jung Mun
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Samuel Stull
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - William J Kowalczyk
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Daniel Agage
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Karran A Phillips
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Kenzie L Preston
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Blain SD, Sassenberg TA, Xi M, Zhao D, DeYoung CG. Extraversion but not depression predicts reward sensitivity: Revisiting the measurement of anhedonic phenotypes. J Pers Soc Psychol 2021; 121:e1-e18. [PMID: 33119388 PMCID: PMC8081762 DOI: 10.1037/pspp0000371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Recently, increasing efforts have been made to define and measure dimensional phenotypes associated with psychiatric disorders. One example is a probabilistic reward task developed by Pizzagalli, Jahn, and O'Shea (2005) to assess anhedonia, by measuring response to a differential reinforcement schedule. This task has been used in many studies, which have connected blunted reward response in the task to depressive symptoms, across clinical groups and in the general population. The current study attempted to replicate these findings in a large community sample and also investigated possible associations with Extraversion, a personality trait linked to reward sensitivity. Participants (N = 299) completed the probabilistic reward task, as well as the Beck Depression Inventory, Personality Inventory for the DSM-5, Big Five Inventory, and Big Five Aspect Scales. Our direct replication attempts used bivariate correlations and analysis of variance models. Follow-up and extension analyses used structural equation models to assess relations among reward sensitivity, depression, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. No significant associations were found between reward sensitivity and depression, thus failing to replicate previous findings. Reward sensitivity (both modeled as response bias aggregated across blocks and as response bias controlling for baseline) showed positive associations with Extraversion, but not Neuroticism. Findings suggest reward sensitivity as measured by this task may be related primarily to Extraversion and its pathological manifestations, rather than to depression per se, consistent with existing models that conceptualize depressive symptoms as combining features of Neuroticism and low Extraversion. Findings are discussed in broader contexts of dimensional psychopathology frameworks, replicable science, and behavioral task reliability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Scott D Blain
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | | | - Muchen Xi
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Daiqing Zhao
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Colin G DeYoung
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Toward a Quantification of Anhedonia: Unified Matching Law and Signal Detection for Clinical Assessment and Drug Development. Perspect Behav Sci 2021; 44:517-540. [DOI: 10.1007/s40614-021-00288-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
|
14
|
Luking KR, Gilbert K, Kelly D, Kappenman ES, Hajcak G, Luby JL, Barch DM. The Relationship Between Depression Symptoms and Adolescent Neural Response During Reward Anticipation and Outcome Depends on Developmental Timing: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 6:527-535. [PMID: 33516654 PMCID: PMC8328346 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Blunted neural reward responsiveness (RR) is observed in youth depression. However, it is unclear whether symptoms of depression experienced early in development relate to adolescent RR beyond current symptoms and, further, whether such relationships with RR differ during two key components of reward processing: anticipation and outcome. METHODS Within a prospective longitudinal study oversampled for early depression, children and caregivers completed semiannual diagnostic assessments beginning in preschool. In later adolescence, mean age = 16.49 years (SD = 0.94), youths' (N = 100) neurophysiological responses to cues signaling likely win and loss and these outcomes were assessed. Longitudinally assessed dimensional depression and externalizing symptoms (often comorbid with depression as well as associated with RR) experienced at different developmental periods (preschool [age 3-5.11 years], school age [6-9.11 years], early adolescence [10-14.11 years], current) were used as simultaneous predictors of event-related potentials indexing anticipatory cue processing (cue-P3) and outcome processing (reward positivity/feedback negativity and feedback-P3). RESULTS Blunted motivated attention to cues signaling likely win (cue-P3) was specifically predicted by early-adolescent depression symptoms. Blunted initial response to win (reward positivity) and loss (feedback negativity) outcomes was specifically predicted by preschool depression symptoms. Blunted motivational salience of win and loss outcomes (feedback-P3) was predicted by cumulative depression, not specific to any developmental stage. CONCLUSIONS Although blunted anticipation and outcome RR is a common finding in depression, specific deficits related to motivated attention to cues and initial outcome processing may map onto the developmental course of these symptoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R Luking
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Kirsten Gilbert
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Danielle Kelly
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Emily S Kappenman
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
| | - Joan L Luby
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Mapping Disease Course Across the Mood Disorder Spectrum Through a Research Domain Criteria Framework. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 6:706-715. [PMID: 33508498 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The National Institute of Mental Health Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative aims to establish a neurobiologically valid framework for classifying mental illness. Here, we examined whether the RDoC construct of reward learning and three aspects of its underlying neurocircuitry predicted symptom trajectories in individuals with mood pathology. METHODS Aligning with the RDoC approach, we recruited individuals (n = 80 with mood disorders [58 unipolar and 22 bipolar] and n = 32 control subjects; 63.4% female) based on their performance on a laboratory-based reward learning task rather than clinical diagnosis. We then assessed 1) anterior cingulate cortex prediction errors using electroencephalography, 2) striatal reward prediction errors using functional magnetic resonance imaging, and 3) medial prefrontal cortex glutamatergic function (mPFC Gln/Glu) using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Severity of anhedonia, (hypo)mania, and impulsivity were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. RESULTS Greater homogeneity in aspects of brain function (mPFC Gln/Glu) was observed when individuals were classified according to reward learning ability rather than diagnosis. Furthermore, mPFC Gln/Glu levels predicted more severe (hypo)manic symptoms cross-sectionally, predicted worsening (hypo)manic symptoms longitudinally, and explained greater variance in future (hypo)manic symptoms than diagnostic information. However, rather than being transdiagnostic, this effect was specific to individuals with bipolar disorder. Prediction error indices were unrelated to symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS Although findings are preliminary and require replication, they suggest that heightened mPFC Gln/Glu warrants further consideration as a predictor of future (hypo)mania. Importantly, this work highlights the value of an RDoC approach that works in tandem with, rather than independent of, traditional diagnostic frameworks.
Collapse
|
16
|
The effort-doors task: Examining the temporal dynamics of effort-based reward processing using ERPs. Neuroimage 2021; 228:117656. [PMID: 33359338 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant reward processing is a cardinal feature of various forms of psychopathology. However, recent research indicates that aberrant reward processing may manifest at temporally distinct substages and involve interdependent subcomponents of reward processing. To improve our understanding of both the temporal dynamics and distinct subcomponents of reward processing, we added an effort manipulation to the "doors" reward-task paradigm, to derive behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) measures of effort-based reward processing. Behavioral measures consisting of reaction time, response rate, and response rate change were used to index effort expenditure, and ERP measures were used to index attention allocated toward effort-completion cues, anticipation of reward, valuation of reward, and attention toward monetary feedback. Reduced response rate and slowing of response were evident during the high effort versus the low effort condition. ERP findings indicated increased attention to signals of high- compared to low-effort completion cues-as well as reduced anticipation of rewards, and reduced attention toward feedback information following high effort expenditure. Participants showing the most response-rate slowing evidenced the greatest reward devaluation following high versus low effort. Findings demonstrate that the addition of an effort expenditure manipulation to the doors reward paradigm produced reliable ERP and behavioral measures of effort-based reward processing, providing opportunities for future researchers to utilize the effort-doors task to parse the temporal dynamics of both anticipatory and consummatory reward processing components.
Collapse
|
17
|
Lawn W, Hill J, Hindocha C, Yim J, Yamamori Y, Jones G, Walker H, Green SF, Wall MB, Howes OD, Curran HV, Freeman TP, Bloomfield MAP. The acute effects of cannabidiol on the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy volunteers. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:969-980. [PMID: 32755273 PMCID: PMC7745615 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120944148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabidiol has potential therapeutic benefits for people with psychiatric disorders characterised by reward function impairment. There is existing evidence that cannabidiol may influence some aspects of reward processing. However, it is unknown whether cannabidiol acutely affects brain function underpinning reward anticipation and feedback. HYPOTHESES We predicted that cannabidiol would augment brain activity associated with reward anticipation and feedback. METHODS We administered a single 600 mg oral dose of cannabidiol and matched placebo to 23 healthy participants in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated-measures design. We employed the monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to assay the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback. We conducted whole brain analyses and region-of-interest analyses in pre-specified reward-related brain regions. RESULTS The monetary incentive delay task elicited expected brain activity during reward anticipation and feedback, including in the insula, caudate, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex. However, across the whole brain, we did not find any evidence that cannabidiol altered reward-related brain activity. Moreover, our Bayesian analyses showed that activity in our regions-of-interest was similar following cannabidiol and placebo. Additionally, our behavioural measures of motivation for reward did not show a significant difference between cannabidiol and placebo. DISCUSSION Cannabidiol did not acutely affect the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy participants. Future research should explore the effects of cannabidiol on different components of reward processing, employ different doses and administration regimens, and test its reward-related effects in people with psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Will Lawn
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - James Hill
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Chandni Hindocha
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - Jocelyn Yim
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yumeya Yamamori
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gus Jones
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hannah Walker
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sebastian F Green
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - H Valerie Curran
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), University of Bath, Bath, UK
- National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Michael AP Bloomfield
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
- Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London, London, UK
- NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, University College Hospital, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
- The Traumatic Stress Clinic, St Pancras Hospital, London, UK
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Selective kappa-opioid antagonism ameliorates anhedonic behavior: evidence from the Fast-fail Trial in Mood and Anxiety Spectrum Disorders (FAST-MAS). Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1656-1663. [PMID: 32544925 PMCID: PMC7419512 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0738-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Anhedonia remains a major clinical issue for which there is few effective interventions. Untreated or poorly controlled anhedonia has been linked to worse disease course and increased suicidal behavior across disorders. Taking a proof-of-mechanism approach under the auspices of the National Institute of Mental Health FAST-FAIL initiative, we were the first to show that, in a transdiagnostic sample screened for elevated self-reported anhedonia, 8 weeks of treatment with a kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist resulted in significantly higher reward-related activation in one of the core hubs of the brain reward system (the ventral striatum), better reward learning in the Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT), and lower anhedonic symptoms, relative to 8 weeks of placebo. Here, we performed secondary analyses of the PRT data to investigate the putative effects of KOR antagonism on anhedonic behavior with more precision by using trial-level model-based Bayesian computational modeling and probability analyses. We found that, relative to placebo, KOR antagonism resulted in significantly higher learning rate (i.e., ability to learn from reward feedback) and a more sustained preference toward the more frequently rewarded stimulus, but unaltered reward sensitivity (i.e., the hedonic response to reward feedback). Collectively, these findings provide novel evidence that in a transdiagnostic sample characterized by elevated anhedonia, KOR antagonism improved the ability to modulate behavior as a function of prior rewards. Together with confirmation of target engagement in the primary report (Krystal et al., Nat Med, 2020), the current findings suggest that further transdiagnostic investigation of KOR antagonism for anhedonia is warranted.
Collapse
|
19
|
Rappaport BI, Kandala S, Luby JL, Barch DM. Brain Reward System Dysfunction in Adolescence: Current, Cumulative, and Developmental Periods of Depression. Am J Psychiatry 2020; 177:754-763. [PMID: 32252540 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19030281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Reward system dysfunction is a well-known correlate and predictor of depression in adults and adolescents, with depressed individuals showing blunted (hyporeactive) striatal response to monetary rewards. Furthermore, studies of remitted depression suggest network-wide hyporeactivity of striatal (caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens) and cortical (insula, anterior cingulate cortex [ACC]) regions even in the absence of current symptoms. Thus, it remains unclear which patterns of hyporeactivity represent a trait-like indicator of depression and which represent a current depressed state. The authors examined the relationships between regions of a cortico-striatal circuit supporting reward processing and both current depression and cumulative depression history. METHODS Using a functional MRI monetary reward task, the authors measured brain response to monetary gains and losses in a longitudinal sample of adolescents (N=131) who had been annually assessed for psychiatric symptoms since ages 3-5 years. RESULTS Current depression severity was associated with hyporeactivity exclusively in the nucleus accumbens in response to the anticipation of a reward, while cumulative depression severity was associated with blunted response to anticipation across a cortico-striatal circuit (striatum, ACC, insula). Follow-up analyses investigating the effects of depression on reward processing at different developmental stages revealed a similar pattern: recent depression severity during adolescence was associated with more focal hyporeactivity in the nucleus accumbens, while depression severity during early childhood (i.e., preschool) was associated with more global hyporeactivity across the cortico-striatal circuit. CONCLUSIONS The study findings indicate important distinctions between disruptions in reward system neural circuitry associated with a history of depression (particularly early-onset depression) and current depression. These results have implications for understanding the etiology and treatment of reward processing deficits in depression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brent I Rappaport
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Rappaport, Barch), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo.; and Department of Psychiatry (Kandala, Luby, Barch) and Department of Radiology (Barch), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo
| | - Sridhar Kandala
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Rappaport, Barch), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo.; and Department of Psychiatry (Kandala, Luby, Barch) and Department of Radiology (Barch), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo
| | - Joan L Luby
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Rappaport, Barch), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo.; and Department of Psychiatry (Kandala, Luby, Barch) and Department of Radiology (Barch), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Rappaport, Barch), Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo.; and Department of Psychiatry (Kandala, Luby, Barch) and Department of Radiology (Barch), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abnormal approach-related motivation but spared reinforcement learning in MDD: Evidence from fronto-midline Theta oscillations and frontal Alpha asymmetry. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:759-777. [PMID: 30675690 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-019-00693-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Major depression is characterized by abnormal reward processing and reinforcement learning (RL). This impairment might stem from deficient motivation processes, in addition to reduced reward sensitivity. In this study, we recorded 64-channel EEG in a large cohort of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and matched healthy controls (HC) while they performed a standard RL task. Participants were asked to discover, by trial and error, several hidden stimulus-response associations having different reward probabilities, as enforced using evaluative feedback. We extracted induced fronto-midline Theta (FMT) power time-locked to the response and feedback as neurophysiological index of RL. Furthermore, we assessed approach-related motivation by measuring frontal alpha asymmetry concurrently. At the behavioral level, MDD patients and HCs showed comparable RL. At the EEG level, FMT power systematically varied as a function of reward probability, with opposing effects found at the response and feedback levels. Although this global pattern was spared in MDD, at the feedback level these patients showed however a steep FMT power decrease across trials when reward probability was low. Moreover, they showed impaired approach-related motivation during task execution, as reflected by frontal Alpha asymmetry. These results suggest a dissociation between (globally spared) RL and (impaired) approach motivation in MDD.
Collapse
|
21
|
Tan A, Costi S, Morris LS, Van Dam NT, Kautz M, Whitton AE, Friedman AK, Collins KA, Ahle G, Chadha N, Do B, Pizzagalli DA, Iosifescu DV, Nestler EJ, Han MH, Murrough JW. Effects of the KCNQ channel opener ezogabine on functional connectivity of the ventral striatum and clinical symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:1323-1333. [PMID: 30385872 PMCID: PMC6494706 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0283-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet current treatment strategies remain limited in their mechanistic diversity. Recent evidence has highlighted a promising novel pharmaceutical target-the KCNQ-type potassium channel-for the treatment of depressive disorders, which may exert a therapeutic effect via functional changes within the brain reward system, including the ventral striatum. The current study assessed the effects of the KCNQ channel opener ezogabine (also known as retigabine) on reward circuitry and clinical symptoms in patients with MDD. Eighteen medication-free individuals with MDD currently in a major depressive episode were enrolled in an open-label study and received ezogabine up to 900 mg/day orally over the course of 10 weeks. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected at baseline and posttreatment to examine brain reward circuitry. Reward learning was measured using a computerized probabilistic reward task. After treatment with ezogabine, subjects exhibited a significant reduction of depressive symptoms (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale score change: -13.7 ± 9.7, p < 0.001, d = 2.08) and anhedonic symptoms (Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale score change: -6.1 ± 5.3, p < 0.001, d = 1.00), which remained significant even after controlling for overall depression severity. Improvement in depression was associated with decreased functional connectivity between the ventral caudate and clusters within the mid-cingulate cortex and posterior cingulate cortex (n = 14, voxel-wise p < 0.005). In addition, a subgroup of patients tested with a probabilistic reward task (n = 9) showed increased reward learning following treatment. These findings highlight the KCNQ-type potassium channel as a promising target for future drug discovery efforts in mood disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Tan
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sara Costi
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Laurel S. Morris
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicholas T. Van Dam
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Marin Kautz
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Allyson K. Friedman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine A. Collins
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gabriella Ahle
- Department of Psychology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nisha Chadha
- Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian Do
- Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Dan V. Iosifescu
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA,Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Eric J. Nestler
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ming-Hu Han
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - James W. Murrough
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,To Whom Correspondence Should Be Addressed: James Murrough, M.D., Ph.D., Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029, USA, Ph: (212) 241-7574, Fax: (212) 241-3354,
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Finan PH, Whitton AE, Letzen JE, Remeniuk B, Robinson ML, Irwin MR, Pizzagalli DA, Smith MT. Experimental sleep disruption and reward learning: moderating role of positive affect responses. Sleep 2020; 42:5423962. [PMID: 30927744 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsz026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep disturbances increase vulnerability for depression, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not well known. We investigated the effects of experimental sleep disruption on response bias (RB), a measure of reward learning previously linked to depression, and the moderating role of positive affect responses. METHODS Participants (N = 42) were healthy adults enrolled in a within-subject crossover sleep disruption experiment that incorporated one night of uninterrupted sleep (US) and one night of forced awakenings (FA) in random order. On the day following each experimental sleep night, participants completed a probabilistic reward task to assess RB, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-X. Participants were subgrouped according to positive affect responses: Preserved Positive Affect (i.e. positive affect scores maintained or increased; n = 15) or Reduced Positive Affect (i.e. positive affect scores decreased; n = 27) following FA. RESULTS Contrary to our hypotheses, across participants, RB did not significantly differ between the US and FA sleep conditions (p = .67). However, the effect of sleep condition on RB was moderated by positive affect response (p = .01); those with preserved positive affect showed heightened RB following FA, whereas those with reduced positive affect showed diminished RB following FA. Changes in negative affect between US and FA did not moderate RB. CONCLUSION The inability to preserve positive affect through periods of sleep disruption may be a marker of diminished reward learning capability. Understanding how sleep disruption impacts positive affect responses and reward learning identifies a pathway by which sleep disturbances may confer risk for depression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick H Finan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Alexis E Whitton
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA
| | - Janelle E Letzen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Bethany Remeniuk
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mercedes L Robinson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Michael R Irwin
- UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA
| | - Michael T Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Lewis LR, Benn A, Dwyer DM, Robinson ESJ. Affective biases and their interaction with other reward-related deficits in rodent models of psychiatric disorders. Behav Brain Res 2019; 372:112051. [PMID: 31276704 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading global causes of disability. Symptoms of MDD can vary person to person, and current treatments often fail to alleviate the poor quality of life that patients experience. One of the two core diagnostic criteria for MDD is the loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, which suggests a link between the disease aetiology and reward processing. Cognitive impairments are also common in patients with MDD, and more recently, emotional processing deficits known as affective biases have been recognised as a key feature of the disorder. Studies in animals have found similar affective biases related to reward. In this review we consider these affective biases in the context of other reward-related deficits and examine how affective biases associated with learning and memory may interact with the wider behavioural symptoms seen in MDD. We discuss recent developments in how analogues of affective biases and other aspects of reward processing can be assessed in rodents, as well as how these behaviours are influenced in models of MDD. We subsequently discuss evidence for the neurobiological mechanisms contributing to one or more reward-related deficits in preclinical models of MDD, identified using these behavioural assays. We consider how the relationships between these selective behavioural assays and the neurobiological mechanisms for affective bias and reward processing could be used to identify potential treatment strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy R Lewis
- School of Psychology, Tower Building, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, United Kingdom.
| | - Abigail Benn
- University of Oxford, Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, Marsden Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, United Kingdom.
| | - Dominic M Dwyer
- School of Psychology, Tower Building, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, United Kingdom.
| | - Emma S J Robinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Whitton AE, Green AI, Pizzagalli DA, Roth RM, Williams JM, Brunette MF. Potent Dopamine D2 Antagonists Block the Reward-Enhancing Effects of Nicotine in Smokers With Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2019; 45:1300-1308. [PMID: 30690638 PMCID: PMC6811816 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sby185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Antipsychotics that are potent dopamine (DA) D2 receptor antagonists have been linked to elevated levels of nicotine dependence in smokers with schizophrenia. Because activation of D2 receptors mediates motivation for nicotine, we examined whether potent D2 antagonists would diminish nicotine's ability to stimulate reward processing-a mechanism that may drive compensatory increases in smoking. Smokers with schizophrenia (n = 184) were recruited and stratified into medication groups based on D2 receptor antagonist potency. The effects of smoking on reward function were assessed using a probabilistic reward task (PRT), administered pre- and post-smoking. The PRT used an asymmetrical reinforcement schedule to produce a behavioral response bias, previously found to increase under conditions (including smoking) that enhance mesolimbic DA signaling. Among the 98 participants with valid PRT data and pharmacotherapy that could be stratified into D2 receptor antagonism potency, a medication × smoking × block interaction emerged (P = .005). Post-hoc tests revealed a smoking × block interaction only for those not taking potent D2 antagonists (P = .007). This group exhibited smoking-related increases in response bias (P < .001) that were absent in those taking potent D2 antagonists (P > .05). Our findings suggest that potent D2 antagonists diminish the reward-enhancing effects of nicotine in smokers with schizophrenia. This may be a mechanism implicated in the increased rate of smoking often observed in patients prescribed these medications. These findings have important clinical implications for the treatment of nicotine dependence in schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis E Whitton
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Alan I Green
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH,Dartmouth Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Hanover, NH
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Robert M Roth
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH
| | - Jill M Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
| | - Mary F Brunette
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, 2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 40, Concord, NH 03301, US; tel: 603-229-5419, fax: 603-271-5262, e-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Guffanti G, Kumar P, Admon R, Treadway MT, Hall MH, Mehta M, Douglas S, Arulpragasam AR, Pizzagalli DA. Depression genetic risk score is associated with anhedonia-related markers across units of analysis. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:236. [PMID: 31537779 PMCID: PMC6753161 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0566-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigations of pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in vulnerability to depression have been negatively impacted by the significant heterogeneity characteristic of psychiatric syndromes. Such challenges are also reflected in numerous null findings emerging from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of depression. Bolstered by increasing sample sizes, recent GWAS studies have identified genetics variants linked to MDD. Among them, Okbay and colleagues (Nat. Genet. 2016 Jun;48(6):624-33) identified genetic variants associated with three well-validated depression-related phenotypes: subjective well-being, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism. Despite this progress, little is known about psychopathological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying such risk. To fill this gap, a genetic risk score (GRS) was computed from the Okbay's study for a sample of 88 psychiatrically healthy females. Across two sessions, participants underwent two well-validated psychosocial stressors, and performed two separate tasks probing reward learning both before and after stress. Analyses tested whether GRS scores predicted anhedonia-related phenotypes across three units of analyses: self-report (Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale), behavior (stress-induced changes in reward learning), and circuits (stress-induced changes in striatal reward prediction error; striatal volume). GRS scores were negatively associated with anhedonia-related phenotypes across all units of analyses but only circuit-level variables were significant. In addition, the amount of explained variance was systematically larger as variables were putatively closer to the effects of genes (self-report < behavior < neural circuitry). Collectively, findings implicate anhedonia-related phenotypes and neurobiological mechanisms in increased depression vulnerability, and highlight the value of focusing on fundamental dimensions of functioning across different units of analyses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guia Guffanti
- 000000041936754Xgrid.38142.3cDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA ,0000 0000 8795 072Xgrid.240206.2McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| | - Poornima Kumar
- 000000041936754Xgrid.38142.3cDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA ,0000 0000 8795 072Xgrid.240206.2McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| | - Roee Admon
- 0000 0004 1937 0562grid.18098.38Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Michael T. Treadway
- 0000 0001 0941 6502grid.189967.8Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ,0000 0001 0941 6502grid.189967.8Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Mei H. Hall
- 000000041936754Xgrid.38142.3cDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA ,0000 0000 8795 072Xgrid.240206.2McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| | - Malavika Mehta
- 0000 0000 8795 072Xgrid.240206.2McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| | - Samuel Douglas
- 0000 0000 8795 072Xgrid.240206.2McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| | - Amanda R. Arulpragasam
- 0000 0001 0941 6502grid.189967.8Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Diego A. Pizzagalli
- 000000041936754Xgrid.38142.3cDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA ,0000 0000 8795 072Xgrid.240206.2McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
The role of avoidance motivation in the relationship between reward sensitivity and depression symptoms in adolescents: An ERP study. Psychiatry Res 2019; 279:345-349. [PMID: 30857881 PMCID: PMC6713598 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Blunted neural responses to reward in an EEG paradigm (RewP) are associated with vulnerability to depression, but the pathways linking this biomarker to depressive symptoms are unclear. We examined whether the relationship between reward response (RewP mean amplitude and latency) and depression was in part explained by approach-motivated behaviors in adolescents with varying levels of depression. EEG was collected during a game rigged to provide win/loss trials. Longer RewP latency was associated with depression symptoms only when scores on a measure of avoidance motivation were included. These results suggest that treatments targeting avoidance may decrease vulnerability to depressive episodes.
Collapse
|
27
|
Rouhani N, Niv Y. Depressive symptoms bias the prediction-error enhancement of memory towards negative events in reinforcement learning. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:2425-2435. [PMID: 31346654 PMCID: PMC6697578 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05322-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Depression is a disorder characterized by sustained negative affect and blunted positive affect, suggesting potential abnormalities in reward learning and its interaction with episodic memory. OBJECTIVES This study investigated how reward prediction errors experienced during learning modulate memory for rewarding events in individuals with depressive and non-depressive symptoms. METHODS Across three experiments, participants learned the average values of two scene categories in two learning contexts. Each learning context had either high or low outcome variance, allowing us to test the effects of small and large prediction errors on learning and memory. Participants were later tested for their memory of trial-unique scenes that appeared alongside outcomes. We compared learning and memory performance of individuals with self-reported depressive symptoms (N = 101) to those without (N = 184). RESULTS Although there were no overall differences in reward learning between the depressive and non-depressive group, depression severity within the depressive group predicted greater error in estimating the values of the scene categories. Similarly, there were no overall differences in memory performance. However, in depressive participants, negative prediction errors enhanced episodic memory more so than did positive prediction errors, and vice versa for non-depressive participants who showed a larger effect of positive prediction errors on memory. These results reflected differences in memory both within group and across groups. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with self-reported depressive symptoms showed relatively intact reinforcement learning, but demonstrated a bias for encoding events that accompanied surprising negative outcomes versus surprising positive ones. We discuss a potential neural mechanism supporting these effects, which may underlie or contribute to the excessive negative affect observed in depression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Rouhani
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Yael Niv
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Chen Y, Daughters SB, Thissen D, Salcedo S, Anand D, Chen LH, Liang H, Niu X, Su L. Cultural Differences in Environmental Reward Across Individuals in China, Taiwan, and the United States. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-019-09743-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
29
|
Risbrough VB, Glynn LM, Davis EP, Sandman CA, Obenaus A, Stern HS, Keator DB, Yassa MA, Baram TZ, Baker DG. Does Anhedonia Presage Increased Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? : Adolescent Anhedonia and Posttraumatic Disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2019; 38:249-265. [PMID: 29796839 PMCID: PMC9167566 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Anhedonia, the reduced ability to experience pleasure, is a dimensional entity linked to multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, where it is associated with diminished treatment response, reduced global function, and increased suicidality. It has been suggested that anhedonia and the related disruption in reward processing may be critical precursors to development of psychiatric symptoms later in life. Here, we examine cross-species evidence supporting the hypothesis that early life experiences modulate development of reward processing, which if disrupted, result in anhedonia. Importantly, we find that anhedonia may confer risk for later neuropsychiatric disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Whereas childhood trauma has long been associated with increased anhedonia and increased subsequent risk for trauma-related disorders in adulthood, here we focus on an additional novel, emerging direct contributor to anhedonia in rodents and humans: fragmented, chaotic environmental signals ("FRAG") during critical periods of development. In rodents, recent data suggest that adolescent anhedonia may derive from aberrant pleasure/reward circuit maturation. In humans, recent longitudinal studies support that FRAG is associated with increased anhedonia in adolescence. Both human and rodent FRAG exposure also leads to aberrant hippocampal function. Prospective studies are underway to examine if anhedonia is also a marker of PTSD risk. These preliminary cross-species studies provide a critical construct for future examination of the etiology of trauma-related symptoms in adults and for and development of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions. In addition, longitudinal studies of reward circuit development with and without FRAG will be critical to test the mechanistic hypothesis that early life FRAG modifies reward circuitry with subsequent consequences for adolescent-emergent anhedonia and contributes to risk and resilience to trauma and stress in adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria B Risbrough
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego Veterans Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Elysia P Davis
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Curt A Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Andre Obenaus
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hal S Stern
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - David B Keator
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Yassa
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Dewleen G Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego Veterans Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Frank DW, Stevens EM, Versace F. A neurophysiological measure of reward sensitivity and its association with anhedonia in psychiatrically healthy adolescents and young adults. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 141:56-64. [PMID: 31071360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Anhedonia (i.e., the attenuated ability to enjoy pleasurable stimuli) characterizes multiple mood disorders, but its neurophysiological underpinnings are not yet clear. Here, we measured event-related potentials in 116 adolescents and young adults engaged in an asymmetric reinforcement procedure designed to objectively characterize the anhedonic phenotype. In line with previous studies, the behavioral results showed that approximately 35% of the sample did not develop a response bias towards the more frequently rewarded stimuli (a sign of low hedonic capacity). The event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked by the reward feedback stimuli delivered during the task showed that individuals that did not develop a response bias had less cortical positivity at Fz from 224 ms to 316 ms post feedback onset compared to those that developed a response bias during the task. However, further analyses showed that this between groups difference was relatively weak, as it disappeared when we controlled for response-locked ERPs. Furthermore, the response bias observed in the asymmetric reinforcement procedure was not strongly associated with self-reported ratings of hedonic capacity. We conclude that even though the asymmetric reinforcement procedure may be used as a reward sensitivity measure in neurotypical adolescents and young adults, this task may only be able to detect clinically significant levels of anhedonia in this particular population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David W Frank
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States of America.
| | - Elise M Stevens
- The Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America
| | - Francesco Versace
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Abstract
A lack of motivation and anhedonia represent frequent and pervasive symptoms in depression, although with poor specificity. Historically described as a response bias, reward-related impairments in depression may account for the important aspects of the cognitive impairments associated with diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Reward processing is a broad psychological construct that can be parsed into 3 distinct components known as "reinforcement learning" (learning), "reward responsiveness" (liking), and "motivation to obtain a reward" (wanting). Depressed patients respond hyposensitively to reward and maladaptively to punishment: this pattern is related to a dysfunction in the frontostriatal systems modulated by the monoamine systems; seems to be observed in medicated and unmedicated patients with depression and in healthy individuals with high levels of anhedonia; and could be observed in patients with a history of depression, even when in full remission. Considered to be cognitive impairments, reward-related-impairments may also constitute part of an underlying neurobiological vulnerability to major depressive disorder (MDD). For example, the reward-related impairment is state dependent and, more or less, correlated with symptom severity in some studies but has also been proposed as being trait like, with endophenotype characteristics, possibly contributing to the persistence of the disease or treatment resistance. The 3 core aspects of reward processing have specific neurobiological correlates that involve the ventral and dorsal striatum, lateral habenula, ventral tegmental area, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These structures underline the important role of the dopaminergic mesolimbic pathway, but glutamate and serotonin could also have an important role, at least in some aspects of reward-related impairments.
Collapse
|
32
|
Cavanagh JF, Bismark AW, Frank MJ, Allen JJB. Multiple Dissociations Between Comorbid Depression and Anxiety on Reward and Punishment Processing: Evidence From Computationally Informed EEG. COMPUTATIONAL PSYCHIATRY (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2019; 3:1-17. [PMID: 31149639 PMCID: PMC6515849 DOI: 10.1162/cpsy_a_00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In this report, we provide the first evidence that mood and anxiety dimensions are associated with unique aspects of EEG responses to reward and punishment, respectively. We reanalyzed data from our prior publication of a categorical depiction of depression to address more sophisticated dimensional hypotheses. Highly symptomatic depressed individuals (N = 46) completed a probabilistic learning task with concurrent EEG. Measures of anxiety and depression symptomatology were significantly correlated with each other; however, only anxiety predicted better avoidance learning due to a tighter coupling of negative prediction error signaling with punishment-specific EEG features. In contrast, depression predicted a smaller reward-related EEG feature, but this did not affect prediction error coupling or the ability to learn from reward. We suggest that this reward-related alteration reflects motivational or hedonic aspects of reward and not a diminishment in the ability to represent the information content of reinforcements. These findings compel further research into the domain-specific neural systems underlying dimensional aspects of psychiatric disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James F Cavanagh
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | | | - Michael J Frank
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - John J B Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Duffy KA, McLaughlin KA, Green PA. Early life adversity and health-risk behaviors: proposed psychological and neural mechanisms. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1428:151-169. [PMID: 30011075 PMCID: PMC6158062 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with poorer health in adulthood, an association explained, at least in part, by increased engagement in health-risk behaviors (HRBs). In this review, we make the case that ELA influences brain development in ways that increase the likelihood of engaging in HRBs. We argue that ELA alters neural circuitry underpinning cognitive control as well as emotional processing, including networks involved in processing threat and reward. These neural changes are associated psychologically and behaviorally with heightened emotional reactivity, blunted reward responsivity, poorer emotion regulation, and greater delay discounting. We then demonstrate that these adaptations to ELA are associated with an increased risk of smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and eating high-fat, high-sugar foods. Furthermore, we explore how HRBs affect the brain in ways that reinforce addiction and further explain clustering of HRBs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Korrina A. Duffy
- Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch, Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | | | - Paige A. Green
- Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch, Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Burkhouse KL, Gorka SM, Klumpp H, Kennedy AE, Karich S, Francis J, Ajilore O, Craske MG, Langenecker SA, Shankman SA, Hajcak G, Phan KL. Neural Responsiveness to Reward as an Index of Depressive Symptom Change Following Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and SSRI Treatment. J Clin Psychiatry 2018; 79:17m11836. [PMID: 29894598 PMCID: PMC6527365 DOI: 10.4088/jcp.17m11836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Reward positivity (RewP), a neurophysiologic index of reward responsivity, is consistently reduced in participants with depression and, to a lesser extent, anxiety. It remains unknown, however, whether RewP can be altered as psychiatric symptoms change with treatment. The current study addressed this question by examining differences in RewP within patients before and after 12 weeks of treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). We also examined the utility of RewP as a predictor of symptom change during CBT and SSRI treatment. METHODS Participants were recruited between 2014 and 2017 and included adults with a primary DSM-5 anxiety or depressive disorder (n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 25). At baseline and 12 weeks, participants completed a monetary award task while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Between EEG sessions, patients completed CBT or SSRI treatment. RESULTS At baseline, higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with a more attenuated RewP. We found no significant differences between patients and healthy controls in the degree of RewP change across the 12 weeks; however, among patients, the extent of increase in RewP robustly correlated with the extent of decline in depressive (t = -2.21, P = .03) and anxiety (t = -2.57, P = .02) symptoms following CBT and SSRI treatment. Additionally, a more attenuated RewP at baseline predicted a greater reduction in depressive symptoms following treatment with SSRIs (t = -2.04, P < .05), but not after CBT. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight neural responsiveness to reward as both a mechanism and a predictor of depressive symptom change that may be used serve as an objective index of symptom improvement. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01903447.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katie L. Burkhouse
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
| | - Stephanie M. Gorka
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
| | - Heide Klumpp
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
| | - Amy E. Kennedy
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,Jesse Brown VA Medical Center; Mental Health Service Line, 820 S. Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60612
| | - Shannon Karich
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
| | - Jennifer Francis
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
| | - Olusola Ajilore
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
| | - Michelle G. Craske
- University of California, Los Angeles; Department of Psychology, Franz Hall - Box 95156 Los Angeles, CA 90094
| | - Scott A. Langenecker
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
| | - Stewart A. Shankman
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychology, 1007 West Harrison St. (M/C 285) Chicago, IL 60607
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Florida State University; Department of Psychology, 1107 W. Call St., Tallahasssee, FL 32306
| | - K. Luan Phan
- University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608,Jesse Brown VA Medical Center; Mental Health Service Line, 820 S. Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60612,University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Psychology, 1007 West Harrison St. (M/C 285) Chicago, IL 60607,University of Illinois-Chicago; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology & the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, 808 S. Wood Street Chicago, IL 60612
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Gheza D, De Raedt R, Baeken C, Pourtois G. Integration of reward with cost anticipation during performance monitoring revealed by ERPs and EEG spectral perturbations. Neuroimage 2018; 173:153-164. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.02.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
|
36
|
Rizvi SJ, Lambert C, Kennedy S. Presentation and Neurobiology of Anhedonia in Mood Disorders: Commonalities and Distinctions. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2018. [PMID: 29520717 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-018-0877-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To focus on the clinical and behavioral presentation of anhedonia in mood disorders, as well as the differences and commonalities in the underlying neurocircuitry. RECENT FINDINGS Evidence suggests that depression is characterized by hypofunction of the reward system, while bipolar disorder manifests dysregulation of the behavioral activation system that increases goal-directed reward behavior. Importantly, strong evidence does not exist to suggest significant differences in anhedonia severity between depressed unipolar and bipolar patients, suggesting that there are more nuanced fluctuations in reward processing deficits in bipolar patients depending on their state. Both euthymic unipolar and bipolar patients frequently report residual reward dysfunction, which highlights the potential of reward processing deficits that give rise to the clinical symptom of anhedonia to be trait factors of mood disorders; however, the possibility that therapies are not adequately treating anhedonia could also explain the presence of residual symptoms. Reward processing represents a potential diagnostic and treatment marker for mood disorders. Further research should systematically explore the facets of reward processing in at-risk, affected, and remitted patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sakina J Rizvi
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Suicide and Depression Studies Unit, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, 193 Yonge St, 6-009, Toronto, ON, M5B 1M8, Canada. .,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Clare Lambert
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Suicide and Depression Studies Unit, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, 193 Yonge St, 6-009, Toronto, ON, M5B 1M8, Canada
| | - Sidney Kennedy
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Arthur Sommer Rotenberg Suicide and Depression Studies Unit, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, 193 Yonge St, 6-009, Toronto, ON, M5B 1M8, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Ethridge P, Kujawa A, Dirks MA, Arfer KB, Kessel EM, Klein DN, Weinberg A. Neural responses to social and monetary reward in early adolescence and emerging adulthood. Psychophysiology 2017; 54:1786-1799. [PMID: 28700084 PMCID: PMC5757310 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Reward processing is often considered to be a monolithic construct, with different incentive types eliciting equivalent neural and behavioral responses. The majority of the literature on reward processing has used monetary incentives to elicit reward-related activity, yet social incentives may be particularly important due to their powerful ability to shape behavior. Findings from studies comparing social and monetary rewards have identified both overlapping and distinct responses. In order to explore whether reward processing is domain general or category specific (i.e., the same or different across reward types), the present study recorded ERPs from early adolescents (ages 12-13) and emerging adults (ages 18-25) while they completed social and monetary reward tasks. Temporospatial principal components analysis revealed morphologically similar reward positivities (RewPs) in the social and monetary reward tasks in each age group. In early adolescents, no significant difference was found between the magnitude of the RewP to social and monetary rewards. In emerging adults, however, the RewP to monetary rewards was significantly larger than the RewP to social rewards. Additionally, responses to feedback between the two tasks were not significantly correlated in either age group. These results suggest that both domain-general and category-specific processes underlie neural responses to rewards and that the relative incentive value of different types of rewards may change across development. Findings from this study have important implications for understanding the role that neural response to rewards plays in the development of psychopathology during adolescence.
Collapse
|
38
|
DelDonno SR, Jenkins LM, Crane NA, Nusslock R, Ryan KA, Shankman SA, Phan KL, Langenecker SA. Affective traits and history of depression are related to ventral striatum connectivity. J Affect Disord 2017. [PMID: 28633048 PMCID: PMC5562158 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Studying remitted Major Depressive Disorder (rMDD) facilitates a better understanding of neural mechanisms for risk, given that confounding effects of active symptoms are removed. Disrupted functional connectivity has been reported in multiple networks in MDD. However, no study to date of rMDD has specifically examined connectivity of the ventral striatum (VS), a region highly implicated in reward and motivation. We investigated functional connectivity of the VS in individuals with and without a history of MDD, and in relation to affective personality traits. METHODS Forty-two individuals with rMDD and 28 healthy controls across two sites completed resting-state fMRI and the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System Scale. Voxel-wise, whole-brain comparisons were conducted across and between groups for four seeds: left and right inferior VS (VSi), left and right superior VS (VSs). RESULTS VSs connectivity to temporal and subcortical regions including the putamen and amygdala was positive and greater in HCs compared to rMDD individuals. Across groups, VSi connectivity was positively correlated with trait reward-responsiveness in somatomotor regions. Across groups, VSs connectivity was positively correlated with trait drive, particularly in the putamen, parahippocampal, and inferior temporal gyrus, and was negatively associated with trait behavioral inhibition in the anterior cingulate, frontal gyri, and insula. LIMITATIONS Limitations include scanning at two sites and using multiple comparisons. DISCUSSION Group connectivity differences emerged from the VSs rather than VSi. VSs showed associations with trait drive and behavioral inhibition, whereas VSi corrrelated with reward-responsiveness. Depression history and affective traits contribute meaningful and specific information about VS connectivity in understanding risk for MDD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - K. Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago
| | - Scott A. Langenecker
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago,Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago,Corresponding author: 1601 W Taylor St., M/C 912, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. P: (312) 996-0085.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Der-Avakian A, D'Souza MS, Potter DN, Chartoff EH, Carlezon WA, Pizzagalli DA, Markou A. Social defeat disrupts reward learning and potentiates striatal nociceptin/orphanin FQ mRNA in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:1603-1614. [PMID: 28280884 PMCID: PMC5420477 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4584-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Mood disorders can be triggered by stress and are characterized by deficits in reward processing, including disrupted reward learning (the ability to modulate behavior according to past rewards). Reward learning is regulated by the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and striatal circuits, both of which are implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. OBJECTIVES Here, we assessed in rats the effects of a potent stressor (social defeat) on reward learning and gene expression in the ACC, ventral tegmental area (VTA), and striatum. METHODS Adult male Wistar rats were trained on an operant probabilistic reward task (PRT) and then exposed to 3 days of social defeat before assessment of reward learning. After testing, the ACC, VTA, and striatum were dissected, and expression of genes previously implicated in stress was assessed. RESULT Social defeat blunted reward learning (manifested as reduced response bias toward a more frequently rewarded stimulus) and was associated with increased nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide mRNA levels in the striatum and decreased Fos mRNA levels in the VTA. Moreover, N/OFQ peptide and nociceptin receptor mRNA levels in the ACC, VTA and striatum were inversely related to reward learning. CONCLUSIONS The behavioral findings parallel previous data in humans, suggesting that stress similarly disrupts reward learning in both species. Increased striatal N/OFQ mRNA in stressed rats characterized by impaired reward learning is consistent with accumulating evidence that antagonism of nociceptin receptors, which bind N/OFQ, has antidepressant-like effects. These results raise the possibility that nociceptin systems represent a molecular substrate through which stress produces reward learning deficits in mood disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andre Der-Avakian
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Manoranjan S D'Souza
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH, USA
| | - David N Potter
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Elena H Chartoff
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - William A Carlezon
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
| | - Athina Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Hélie S, Shamloo F, Novak K, Foti D. The roles of valuation and reward processing in cognitive function and psychiatric disorders. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2017; 1395:33-48. [PMID: 28415138 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In neuroeconomics, valuation refers to the process of assigning values to states and actions on the basis of the animal's current representation of the environment, while reward processing corresponds to processing the feedback received from the environment to update the values of states and actions. In this article, we review the brain circuits associated with valuation and reward processing and argue that these are fundamental processes critical to many cognitive functions. Specifically, we focus on the role of valuation and reward processing in attention, memory, decision making, and learning. Next, the extant neuroimaging literature on a number of psychiatric disorders is reviewed (i.e., addiction, pathological gambling, schizophrenia, and mood disorders), and an argument is made that associated deficits in cognitive functions can be explained in terms of abnormal valuation and reward processing. The review concludes with the impact of this framework in clinical settings and prescriptions for future research, in particular with regard to the conversions of qualitatively different valuation systems into a system of common currency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Hélie
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Farzin Shamloo
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Keisha Novak
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Dan Foti
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Carl H, Walsh E, Eisenlohr-Moul T, Minkel J, Crowther A, Moore T, Gibbs D, Petty C, Bizzell J, Dichter GS, Smoski MJ. Sustained anterior cingulate cortex activation during reward processing predicts response to psychotherapy in major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord 2016; 203:204-212. [PMID: 27295377 PMCID: PMC5651145 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate whether pre-treatment neural activation in response to rewards is a predictor of clinical response to Behavioral Activation Therapy for Depression (BATD), an empirically validated psychotherapy that decreases depressive symptoms by increasing engagement with rewarding stimuli and reducing avoidance behaviors. METHODS Participants were 33 outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 20 matched controls. We examined group differences in activation, and the capacity to sustain activation, across task runs using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the monetary incentive delay (MID) task. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to investigate whether pre-treatment neural responses predicted change in depressive symptoms over the course of BATD treatment. RESULT MDD and Control groups differed in sustained activation during reward outcomes in the right nucleus accumbens, such that the MDD group experienced a significant decrease in activation in this region from the first to second task run relative to controls. Pretreatment anhedonia severity and pretreatment task-related reaction times were predictive of response to treatment. Furthermore, sustained activation in the anterior cingulate cortex during reward outcomes predicted response to psychotherapy; patients with greater sustained activation in this region were more responsive to BATD treatment. LIMITATION The current study only included a single treatment condition, thus it unknown whether these predictors of treatment response are specific to BATD or psychotherapy in general. CONCLUSION Findings add to the growing body of literature suggesting that the capacity to sustain neural responses to rewards may be a critical endophenotype of MDD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Carl
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Erin Walsh
- Program on Integrative Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Tory Eisenlohr-Moul
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jared Minkel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27710, USA
| | - Andrew Crowther
- UNC Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Tyler Moore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Devin Gibbs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Chris Petty
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Josh Bizzell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA,Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Gabriel S. Dichter
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27710, USA,UNC Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA,Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA,Corresponding author at: Department of Psychiatry University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, CB 7155, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7155, USA., (G.S. Dichter)
| | - Moria J. Smoski
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC 27710, USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Abstract
Blunted reward response appears to be a trait-like marker of vulnerability for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). As such, it should be present in remitted individuals; however, depression is a heterogeneous syndrome. Reward-related impairments may be more pronounced in individuals with melancholic depression. The present study examined neural responses to rewards in remitted melancholic depression (rMD; N = 29), remitted non-melancholic depression (rNMD; N = 56), and healthy controls (HC; N = 81). Event-related potentials to monetary gain and loss were recorded during a simple gambling paradigm. rMD was characterized by a blunted response to rewards relative to both the HC and the rNMD groups, who did not differ from one another. Moreover, the rMD and rNMD groups did not differ in course or severity of their past illnesses, or current depressive symptoms or functioning. Results suggest that blunted response to rewards may be a viable vulnerability marker for melancholic depression.
Collapse
|
43
|
Translational Assessment of Reward and Motivational Deficits in Psychiatric Disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2015; 28:231-62. [PMID: 26873017 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_5004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in reward and motivation are common symptoms characterizing several psychiatric and neurological disorders. Such deficits may include anhedonia, defined as loss of pleasure, as well as impairments in anticipatory pleasure, reward valuation, motivation/effort, and reward learning. This chapter describes recent advances in the development of behavioral tasks used to assess different aspects of reward processing in both humans and non-human animals. While earlier tasks were generally developed independently with limited cross-species correspondence, a newer generation of translational tasks has emerged that are theoretically and procedurally analogous across species and allow parallel testing, data analyses, and interpretation between human and rodent behaviors. Such enhanced conformity between cross-species tasks will facilitate investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying discrete reward and motivated behaviors and is expected to improve our understanding and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by reward and motivation deficits.
Collapse
|