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Neural reward processing in individuals remitted from major depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2015

B. Ubl ,
C. Kuehner ,
P. Kirsch ,
M. Ruttorf ,
H. Flor  and
C. Diener
B. Ubl*
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
C. Kuehner
Affiliation:
Research Group Longitudinal and Intervention Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
P. Kirsch
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
M. Ruttorf
Affiliation:
Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
H. Flor
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
C. Diener
Affiliation:
School of Applied Psychology, SRH University of Applied Science, Heidelberg, Germany
*
* Address for correspondence: B. Ubl, Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Central Institute of Mental Health, Square J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background.

Dysfunctional behavioural and neural processing of reward has been found in currently depressed individuals. However, little is known about altered reward processing in remitted depressed individuals.

Method.

A total of 23 medication-free individuals with remitted major depressive disorder (rMDD) and 23 matched healthy controls (HCs) performed a reward task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We also investigated reward dependence, novelty seeking and harm avoidance using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and their association with neural responses of reward processing.

Results.

Compared to HCs, individuals with rMDD exhibited enhanced responses to reward-predicting cues in the hippocampus, amygdala and superior frontal gyrus. When reward was delivered, rMDD subjects did not significantly differ from HCs. In both groups neural activity during reward anticipation was negatively correlated with harm avoidance.

Conclusions.

Our results show that rMDD is characterized by hyperactivation in fronto-limbic regions during reward anticipation. Alterations in neural activation during reward processing might reflect an increased effort in remitted depressed individuals to allocate neural activity for executive and evaluative processes during anticipatory reward processing.

Keywords

Functional magnetic resonance imagingremitted depressionrewardtemperament
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 45 , Issue 16 , December 2015 , pp. 3549 - 3558
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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