Altered neural processing of reward and punishment in adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder

Neural mechanisms of social comparison in subthreshold depression

Social comparison is a common phenomenon in our daily life, through which people get to know themselves, and plays an important role in depression. In this study, event-related potential (ERP) was used to explore the temporal course of social comparison processing in the subthreshold depression group. Electrophysiological recordings were acquired from 30 subthreshold depressed individuals and 31 healthy individuals while they conducted the adapted dot estimation task. The ERP results revealed that there was a significant difference of feedback-related negativity (FRN) in the process of social comparison. Especially only in the subthreshold depression, the FRN amplitudes of worse off than some, better off than many comparisons were larger than those of upward comparisons and downward comparisons. Our results suggested that the abnormal reward sensitivity for worse off than some, better off than many comparisons might be prodromal symptoms in the subthreshold depression.

P300 parameters in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Event-related potential measures have been extensively studied in mental disorders. Among them, P300 amplitude and latency reflect impaired cognitive abilities in major depressive disorder (MDD). The present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether patients with MDD differ from healthy controls (HCs) with respect to P300 amplitude and latency.

METHODS

PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to 15 January 2023 for case-control studies comparing P300 amplitude and latency in patients with MDD and HCs. The primary outcome was the standard mean difference. A total of 13 articles on P300 amplitude and latency were included in the meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Random effect models indicated that MDD patients had decreased P300 amplitude, but similar latency compared to healthy controls. According to regression analysis, the effect size increased with the severity of depression and decreased with the proportion of women in the MDD samples. Funnel plot asymmetry was not significant for publication bias.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased P300 amplitude may be a candidate diagnostic biomarker for MDD. However, prospective studies testing P300 amplitude as a monitoring biomarker for MDD are needed.

Neurocognitive reward processes measured via event-related potentials are associated with binge-eating disorder diagnosis and ecologically-assessed behavior

Altered reward processing has been implicated in the onset and maintenance of binge-eating disorder (BED). However, it is unclear which precise neurocognitive reward processes may contribute to BED. In the present study, 40 individuals with BED and 40 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched controls completed a reward (incentive delay) task while their neural activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). Individuals with BED also completed a 10-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol assessing binge-eating behavior in the natural environment. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis of the EEG indicated that individuals with BED had stronger anticipatory (CNV) and outcome-related (RewP) neural reward activity to food and monetary rewards, compared to controls. However, within the BED group, greater frequency of binge eating during the EMA protocol was associated with stronger anticipatory (CNV) but weaker outcome-related (RewP) neural reward activity. These associations within the BED group were unique to food, and not monetary, rewards. Although preliminary, these results suggest that both anticipatory ("wanting") and outcome ("liking") reward processes may be generally amplified in BED. However, they also suggest that among individuals with BED, disorder severity may be associated with increased anticipatory reward processes ("wanting"), but relatively decreased reward-outcome processing ("liking"), of food rewards specifically.

Feedback negativity and feedback-related P3 in individuals at risk for depression: Comparing surface potentials and current source densities

Blunted responses to reward feedback have been linked to major depressive disorder (MDD) and depression risk. Using a monetary incentive delay task (win, loss, break-even), we investigated the impact of family risk for depression and lifetime history of MDD and anxiety disorder with 72-channel electroencephalograms (EEG) recorded from 29 high-risk and 32 low-risk individuals (15-58 years, 30 male). Linked-mastoid surface potentials (ERPs) and their corresponding reference-free current source densities (CSDs) were quantified by temporal principal components analysis (PCA). Each PCA solution revealed a midfrontal feedback negativity (FN; peak around 310 ms) and a posterior feedback-P3 (fb-P3; 380 ms) as two distinct reward processing stages. Unbiased permutation tests and multilevel modeling of component scores revealed greater FN to loss than win and neutral for all stratification groups, confirming FN sensitivity to valence. Likewise, all groups had greater fb-P3 to win and loss than neutral, confirming that fb-P3 indexes motivational salience and allocation of attention. By contrast, group effects were subtle, dependent on data transformation (ERP, CSD), and did not confirm reduced FN or fb-P3 for at-risk individuals. Instead, CSD-based fb-P3 was overall reduced in individuals with than without MDD history, whereas ERP-based fb-P3 was greater for high-risk individuals than for low-risk individuals for monetary, but not neutral outcomes. While the present findings do not support blunted reward processing in depression and depression risk, our side-by-side comparison underscores how the EEG reference choice affects the characterization of subtle group differences, strongly advocating the use of reference-free techniques.

Multiple examinations indicated associations between abnormal regional homogeneity and cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder

Background

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between regional neural activity and multiple related indicators in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods

Forty-two patients and 42 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Pearson/Spearman correlation analyses were applied to examine the associations between abnormal regional homogeneity (ReHo) and different indicators in the patients.

Results

Compared with HCs, patients with MDD had increased ReHo in the left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) and decreased ReHo values in the left putamen, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and precentral gyrus. The ReHo of the left putamen was positively correlated with the PR interval, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status 4A, and Discriminant analysis (D), and negatively correlated with Ae (block) and Ae (total) in the patients. The ReHo value of the left ACC was positively correlated with the severity of depression, Stroop Color Word Test of C - 2B + 100 in reaction time, and negatively correlated with Ce (Missay) and Perseverative Responses in the patients. The ReHo of the left ITG was positively correlated with the Neuroticism scores and negatively correlated with the Lie scores in the patients.

Conclusion

These results suggested that the decreased ReHo of the salience network might be the underpinning of cognitive impairments in patients with MDD.

Neural deficits in anticipatory and consummatory reward processing are uniquely associated with current depressive symptoms during adolescence

Deficits within the consummatory phase of reward processing are associated with increased depression symptoms and risk; however, few studies have also examined other aspects of reward processing in relation to depression. In the current study, a community sample of 121 adolescents (M_age  = 13.1, Min = 11.14; Max = 15.12; 54% male) completed self-report questionnaires to assess depressive symptoms and the monetary incentive delay (MID) task while EEG was recorded. Results indicated that a reduced cue-P300 as well as a reduced reward positivity (RewP) and feedback negativity (FN) to gain and loss feedback, respectively, were associated with increased depressive symptoms; on the other hand, SPN and feedback P300 were unrelated to depressive symptoms. An exploratory multiple regression analysis revealed that a reduced money cue-P300, a reduced RewP, and a reduced (i.e., less negative) FN, all explained unique variance in depressive symptoms. The current study demonstrates that reduced cue-P300, RewP, and FN amplitudes may reflect distinct deficits in reward processing among adolescents with increased depressive symptoms. Notably, this study is one of the first to leverage the MID task in adolescents in relation to depressive symptoms, allowing for a more in-depth view of the individual differences in reward processing among adolescents with increased depressive symptomatology.

The potential application of event-related potentials to enhance research on reward processes in eating disorders

OBJECTIVE

Reward-related processes have been posited as key mechanisms underlying the onset and persistence of eating disorders, prompting a growing body of research in this area. Existing studies have primarily utilized self-report, behavioral, and functional magnetic resonance imaging measures to interrogate reward among individuals with eating disorders. However, limitations inherent in each of these methods (e.g., poor temporal resolution) may obscure distinct neurocognitive reward processes, potentially contributing to underdeveloped models of reward dysfunction within eating disorders. The temporal precision of event-related potentials (ERPs), derived from electroencephalography, may thus offer a powerful complementary tool for elucidating the neurocognitive underpinnings of reward. Indeed, a considerable amount of research in other domains of psychopathology (e.g., depression, substance use disorders), as well as studies investigating food reward among non-clinical samples, highlights the utility of ERPs for probing reward processes. However, no study to date has utilized ERPs to directly examine reward functioning in eating disorders.

METHODS

In this paper, we review evidence underscoring the clinical utility of ERP measures of reward, as well as a variety of reward-related tasks that can be used to elicit specific ERP components with demonstrated relevance to reward processing. We then consider the ways in which these tasks/components may be used to help answer a variety of open questions within the eating disorders literature on reward.

RESULTS/DISCUSSION

Given the promise of ERP measures of reward to the field of eating disorders, we ultimately hope to spur and guide research in this currently neglected area.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

Abnormalities in reward functioning appear to contribute to eating disorders. Event-related potentials (ERPs) offer temporally precise measures of neurocognitive reward processing and thus may be important tools for understanding the relationship between reward and disordered eating. However, research in this area is currently lacking. This paper attempts to facilitate the use of ERPs to study reward among individuals with eating disorders by reviewing the relevant theories and methods.

Differentiating the abnormalities of social and monetary reward processing associated with depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND

Reward dysfunction is a major dimension of depressive symptomatology, but it remains obscure if that dysfunction varies across different reward types. In this study, we focus on the abnormalities in anticipatory/consummatory processing of monetary and social reward associated with depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Forty participants with depressive symptoms and forty normal controls completed the monetary incentive delay (MID) and social incentive delay (SID) tasks with event-related potential (ERP) recording.

RESULTS

In the SID but not the MID task, both the behavioral hit rate and the ERP component contingent negative variation (CNV; indicating reward anticipation) were sensitive to the interaction between the grouping factor and reward magnitude; that is, the depressive group showed a lower hit rate and a smaller CNV to large-magnitude (but not small-magnitude) social reward cues compared to the control group. Further, these two indexes were correlated with each other. Meanwhile, the ERP components feedback-related negativity and P3 (indicating reward consumption) were sensitive to the main effect of depression across the MID and SID tasks, though this effect was more prominent in the SID task.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, we suggest that depressive symptoms are associated with deficits in both the reward anticipation and reward consumption stages, particularly for social rewards. These findings have a potential to characterize the profile of functional impairment that comprises and maintains depression.

Neural Responses to Reward and Punishment Stimuli in Depressed Status Individuals and Their Effects on Cognitive Activities

Individuals in depressed status respond abnormally to reward stimuli, but the neural processes involved remain unclear. Whether this neural response affects subsequent cognitive processing activities remains to be explored. In the current study, participants, screened as depressed status individuals and healthy individuals by Beck Depression Inventory and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, performed both a door task and a cognitive task. Specifically, in each trial, they selected one from two identical doors based on the expectations of rewards and punishments and received the rewarded or punished feedback, and then they performed a cognitive task in which they judged the correctness of a math equation. The neural responses of their choice in the door task were recorded. The results showed that when the two groups received punished feedback, their accuracy was significantly higher than they received rewarded feedback. Compared with the healthy group, the depressed status group spent more time completing cognitive tasks. Analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) data showed that the amplitude of RewP induced by rewarded feedback was larger than that induced by punished feedback, and the amplitude of RewP and fb-P3 induced by the depressed status group was smaller than that of the healthy group. The results of an order analysis showed that the main effects of group variable in fb-P3 and RewP appeared in the second half of the data, and the main effect of feedback type in RewP appeared in the first half of the data. The results showed that the neural response of individuals in depressed status to reward and punishment stimuli was weakened compared with healthy individuals and affected the subsequent cognitive processing to some extent. The effect of feedback appeared in the early stage and gradually decreased. The neural response of individuals in depressed status had a cumulative effect, and the differences appeared in the later stage. The results of this study support the emotional situation insensitive hypothesis, that is, individuals in depressed status are less sensitive to reward and punishment than healthy individuals.

P300 amplitude during a monetary incentive delay task predicts future therapy completion in individuals with major depressive disorder

INTRODUCTION

Treatment effectiveness for major depressive disorder (MDD) is often affected by client non-adherence, dropout, and non-response. Identification of client characteristics predicting successful treatment completion and/or response (i.e., symptom reduction) may be an important tool to increase intervention effectiveness. It is unclear whether neural attenuations in reward processing associated with MDD predict behavioral treatment outcome.

METHODS

This study aimed to determine whether blunted neural responses to reward at baseline differentiate MDD (n = 60; 41 with comorbid anxiety) and healthy control (HC; n = 40) groups; and predict MDD completion of and response to 7-10 sessions of behavior therapy. Participants completed a monetary incentive delay (MID) task. The N200, P300, contingent negative variation (CNV) event related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral responses (reaction time [RT], correct hits) were quantified and extracted for cross-sectional group analyses. ERPs and behavioral responses demonstrating group differences were then used to predict therapy completion and response within MDD.

RESULTS

MDD exhibited faster RT and smaller P300 amplitudes than HC across conditions. Within the MDD group, treatment completers (n = 37) exhibited larger P300 amplitudes than non-completers (n = 21).

LIMITATIONS

This study comprises secondary analyses of EEG data; thus task parameters are not optimized to examine feedback ERPs from the paradigm. We did not examine heterogenous presentations of MDD; however, severity and comorbidity did not influence findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous studies suggest that P300 is an index of motivational salience and stimulus resource allocation. In sum, individuals who deploy greater neural resources to task demands are more likely to persevere in behavioral therapy.

I, robot: depression plays different roles in human-human and human-robot interactions

Socially engaging robots have been increasingly applied to alleviate depressive symptoms and to improve the quality of social life among different populations. Seeing that depression negatively influences social reward processing in everyday interaction, we investigate this influence during simulated interactions with humans or robots. In this study, 35 participants with mild depression and 35 controls (all from nonclinical populations) finished the social incentive delay task with event-related potential recording, in which they received performance feedback from other persons or from a robot. Compared to the controls, the mild depressive symptom (MDS) group represented abnormalities of social reward processing in the human feedback condition: first, the MDS group showed a lower hit rate and a smaller contingent-negative variation (correlated with each other) during reward anticipation; second, depression level modulated both the early phase (indexed by the feedback-related negativity (FRN)) and the late phase (indexed by the P3) of reward consumption. In contrast, the effect of depression was evident only on FRN amplitude in the robot feedback condition. We suggest that compared to human-human interaction, the rewarding properties of human-robot interaction are less likely to be affected by depression. These findings have implications for the utilization of robot-assisted intervention in clinical practice.

Improved Pre-attentive Processing With Occipital rTMS Treatment in Major Depressive Disorder Patients Revealed by MMN

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the improvement effect of occipital repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with escitalopram oxalate tablets on pre-attentive processing in patients with first-episode, medication-naive depression.

METHODS

Patients who were hospitalized between January and December 2019 were selected. They were randomly allocated to real occipital rTMS stimulation group with 27 cases receiving intermittent theta-burst (iTBS) and sham stimulation group with 24 cases over 20 days. The rTMS treatment target is located at the Oz point of the occipital region. Both groups took escitalopram oxalate tablets, and the average daily drug dose was 15.294 ± 5.041 mg. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) was used to assess the symptoms of depression before and after treatment, and mismatch negativity (MMN) was used to assess the improvement of pre-attentive processing before and after treatment.

RESULTS

After 20 days of treatment, the total score of HAMD (13.495 ± 3.700) in both groups was significantly lower than that before treatment [21.910 ± 3.841, F(1, 49) = 46, 3.690, p < 0.001]. After treatment, the latency of MMN in the real stimulation group (182.204 ± 31.878 ms) was significantly lower than that in the sham stimulation group (219.896 ± 42.634 ms, p < 0.001), and the amplitude of MMN in the real stimulation group (-7.107 ± 3.374 ms) was significantly higher than that in the sham stimulation group (-2.773 ± 3.7 32 ms, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Occipital rTMS treatment can enhance the early therapeutic effect and effectively improve the pre-attentive processing of patients with depression and provide a scientific basis for the new target of rTMS therapy in clinical patients with depression.

Interactions between methodological and interindividual variability: How Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task contrast maps vary and impact associations with behavior

INTRODUCTION

Phenomena related to reward responsiveness have been extensively studied in their associations with substance use and socioemotional functioning. One important task in this literature is the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task. By cueing and delivering performance-contingent reward, the MID task has been demonstrated to elicit robust activation of neural circuits involved in different phases of reward responsiveness. However, systematic evaluations of common MID task contrasts have been limited to between-study comparisons of group-level activation maps, limiting their ability to directly evaluate how researchers' choice of contrasts impacts conclusions about individual differences in reward responsiveness or brain-behavior associations.

METHODS

In a sample of 104 participants (Age Mean = 19.3, SD = 1.3), we evaluate similarities and differences between contrasts in: group- and individual-level activation maps using Jaccard's similarity index, region of interest (ROI) mean signal intensities using Pearson's r, and associations between ROI mean signal intensity and psychological measures using Bayesian correlation.

RESULTS

Our findings demonstrate more similarities than differences between win and loss cues during the anticipation contrast, dissimilarity between some win anticipation contrasts, an apparent deactivation effect in the outcome phase, likely stemming from the blood oxygen level-dependent undershoot, and behavioral associations that are less robust than previously reported.

CONCLUSION

Consistent with recent empirical findings, this work has practical implications for helping researchers interpret prior MID studies and make more informed a priori decisions about how their contrast choices may modify results.

The Relationship Between Depression Symptoms and Adolescent Neural Response During Reward Anticipation and Outcome Depends on Developmental Timing: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study

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.

Altered reward responsiveness and depressive symptoms: An examination of social and monetary reward domains and interactions with rejection sensitivity

BACKGROUND

Alterations in positive valence systems and social processes, including low reward responsiveness and high rejection sensitivity, have been observed in depression. Most reward research focuses on the monetary domain, but social reward responsiveness may be particularly relevant to understanding the etiology of depression, especially in combination with other social processes. Pathways to depression are complex, and research testing interactions between multiple factors is needed. The present study examined the interactive effects of reward responsiveness and rejection sensitivity on depressive symptoms using both social and monetary reward electroencephalogram (EEG) tasks.

METHODS

Emerging adults (N = 120) completed peer interaction and monetary incentive delay tasks while EEG data were recorded, as well as self-report measures of rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The interaction between social reward responsiveness and self-reported rejection sensitivity was significantly associated with depressive symptoms, such that rejection sensitivity was associated with greater depressive symptoms for those with a relatively reduced response to social reward. The interaction between monetary reward responsiveness and rejection sensitivity was not significant.

LIMITATIONS

The study was cross-sectional and used a non-clinical sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest a possible pathway for depressive symptoms characterized by the combination of high rejection sensitivity and low social reward responsiveness. Findings highlight the need for consideration of multiple domains of reward responsiveness in clinical neuroscience research. With extension to longitudinal studies and clinical samples, the present findings may inform understanding of targets for intervention.

The effort-doors task: Examining the temporal dynamics of effort-based reward processing using ERPs

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.

Major Depression and Brain Asymmetry in a Decision-Making Task with Negative and Positive Feedback

Depressed patients are characterized by hypoactivity of the left and hyperactivity of the right frontal areas during the resting state. Depression is also associated with impaired decision-making, which reflects multiple cognitive, affective, and attentional processes, some of which may be lateralized. The aim of this study was to investigate brain asymmetry during a decision-making task performed in negative and positive feedback conditions in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in comparison to healthy control participants. The electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from 60 MDD patients and 60 healthy participants while performing a multi-stage decision-making task. Frontal, central, and parietal alpha asymmetry were analyzed with EEGlab/ERPlab software. Evoked potential responses (ERPs) showed general lateralization suggestive of an initial right dominance developing into a more complex pattern of asymmetry across different scalp areas as information was processed. The MDD group showed impaired mood prior to performance, and decreased confidence during performance in comparison to the control group. The resting state frontal alpha asymmetry showed lateralization in the healthy group only. Task-induced alpha power and ERP P100 and P300 amplitudes were more informative biomarkers of depression during decision making. Asymmetry coefficients based on task alpha power and ERP amplitudes showed consistency in the dynamical changes during the decision-making stages. Depression was characterized by a lack of left dominance during the resting state and left hypoactivity during the task baseline and subsequent decision-making process. Findings add to understanding of the functional significance of lateralized brain processes in depression.

Neural processes of reward and punishment processing in childhood and adolescence: An event-related potential study on age differences

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Children and adolescents performed the Monetary Incentive Delay Task.

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We examined anticipatory and outcome ERPs of reward and punishment processing.

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SPN amplitudes for anticipating loss or no gain decreased with increasing age.

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Sensitivity to negative outcomes decreases from childhood to adolescence.

Reward and punishment processing are subject to substantial developmental changes during youth. However, little is known about the neurophysiological correlates that are associated with these developmental changes, particularly with regard to both anticipatory and outcome processing stages. Thus, the aim of this study was to address this research gap in a sample of typically developing children and adolescents.

Fifty-four children and adolescents (8–18 years) performed a Monetary Incentive Delay Task comprising a monetary reward and punishment condition. Using event-related brain potential recordings, the cue-P3 and the stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) were analyzed during the anticipation phase, while the Reward Positivity and the feedback-P3 were analyzed during the outcome phase.

When anticipating monetary loss or no gain, SPN amplitude in the right hemisphere decreased with age. Moreover, exploratory analyses revealed a decrease in feedback-P3 amplitudes in response to monetary loss with increasing age. No other group differences were observed.

Age-related changes in the SPN and fP3 component suggest that sensitivity to negative outcomes decreases from childhood to late adolescence, supporting the notion that adolescence is associated with reduced harm-avoidance. Longitudinal research including young adults is needed to substantiate our findings and its clinical implications regarding disturbed developmental trajectories in psychiatric populations.

Social Incentives Anticipation and Consummation: Investigating Neural Activity in Women Using Methamphetamine

Individuals with methamphetamine use disorder are considered to have enhanced reactivity to rewards or drug cues. However, whether this holds true in the social incentives processing is still unclear. The current study investigated the electroencephalographical (EEG) evidence of social incentives processing in women with methamphetamine use disorder (MA group, n = 19) and in a healthy control group (HC group, n = 20) using social incentive delay (SID) tasks. In the SID, participants received a "Like" (e.g., thumbs up) or "Unlike" (e.g., thumbs down) from WeChat emojis as social incentives, or neutral feedback. During the anticipation stage, the Cue-P3 and stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) were larger for the social incentives condition than for the neutral condition. During the consummation stage, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) was marginally significantly larger in the HC group than the MA group for the social incentive condition, whereas there was no significant difference between the groups for neutral condition. Interestingly, the FB-P3 was larger for social positive feedback than for social negative feedback in the MA group, but not in HC group. Furthermore, only the HC group showed significant positive correlation between the anticipatory event-related brain potential (ERP, such as Cue-P3) and the consummatory ERP (FB-P3) in the social incentive condition. The findings suggest that women with MA use disorder have a blunted neural response to the processing of social incentives and a blunted neural response to negative social feedback, which helps to elucidate the neural mechanisms of social incentives processing in individuals with MA use disorder.

I Knew You Weren't Going to Like Me! Neural Response to Accurately Predicting Rejection Is Associated With Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression often emerge in adolescence. A normative increase in the desire for peer acceptance may be one of many contributing factors. These shifts occur during a phase of development in which neural reward networks, including structures such as the ventral striatum, undergo critical changes. Despite the salience of peer feedback during adolescence, neural responses to reward have largely been examined in the monetary domain, leaving many open questions about responses to social rewards. Moreover, most paradigms do not tease apart different aspects of reward processing (e.g., receiving feedback, being correct). Anxiety and depression are also associated with alterations in reward networks; however, little is known about how anxiety and depression in adolescence relate to differences in social vs. non-social reward processing. In this study, adolescents (n = 28) underwent fMRI while completing novel monetary and social feedback tasks, which tease apart reward domain (social/monetary), valence (positive/negative), and outcome (correct/incorrect). Participants were shown a pair of stimuli (doors/age-matched peers) and asked to indicate which stimulus would provide positive (win money/social like) or negative (lose money/social dislike) feedback. Participants then received feedback about the purported accuracy of their response. Region-of-interest analyses showed that left ventral striatum response varied by domain (social/monetary), valence (positive/negative), and outcome (correct/incorrect) of reward. Additionally, unique associations between anxiety, depression, and brain function were observed for correct, but not for incorrect trials, in the social, but not monetary task. Specifically, adolescents with high anxiety symptoms, but low depression, displayed greater left ventral striatum activation when correctly identifying peers who gave dislike (vs. like) feedback. Thus, anxious youth exhibited enhanced activation in a brain region implicated in reward processing when they accurately predicted someone was going to dislike them. Higher levels of both depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with greater striatal activation to correctly identifying peers who gave like (vs. dislike) feedback. These results suggest a neural mechanism by which negative prediction biases may be reinforced in anxious youth.