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Review
. 2019 Nov;47(6):535-541.
doi: 10.1024/1422-4917/a000663. Epub 2019 Apr 8.

Reward Processing in Adolescent Depression Across Neuroimaging Modalities

Georgia O'Callaghan  1 , Argyris Stringaris  1
Affiliations
Review

Reward Processing in Adolescent Depression Across Neuroimaging Modalities

Georgia O'Callaghan et al. Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2019 Nov.

Abstract
in English, German

Depressive symptoms have long been associated with abnormalities in neural processing of reward. However, no review has yet consolidated evidence of such deficits in adolescent depression, integrating findings across neuroimaging modalities, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). The current review found consistent evidence of reduced striatal responses in anticipation and upon receipt of rewards, and blunted feedback-related negativity (FRN) potentials associated with depression in adolescence, consistent with the adult literature. Furthermore, while these occurred in currently depressed adolescents, they were also found to be predictive of the onset of depressive symptoms in longitudinal studies with community-based adolescent samples. This paper makes recommendations for future work to continue to elucidate this relationship, a greater understanding of which may lead to more targeted and efficacious treatments for depression in adolescence.

Seit längerer Zeit ist depressive Symptomatik mit Abweichungen in der neuronalen Belohnungsverarbeitung in Zusammenhang gebracht worden. Aber bisher fehlte eine Übersichtsarbeit zu solchen Defiziten für Depressionen im Jugendalter, die Befunde von verschiedenen Neuroimaging Methoden integriert, wie funktioneller Magnetresonanztomographie (fMRT) und Elektroenzephalographie (EEG). Die aktuelle Übersicht fand – im Zusammenhang mit Depression bei Jugendlichen – übereinstimmend Evidenz zu reduzierten striatalen Reaktionen in der Antizipation und beim Empfang von Belohnung sowie zu abgeschwachten FRN (feedback-related negativity) Potentialen, dies vereinbar mit der Literatur für Erwachsene. Diese Befunde wurden nicht nur für akut depressive Jugendliche berichtet, sondern darüber hinaus auch als Prädiktoren für depressive Symptomatik in Langzeitstudien bei Jugendlichen aus der Bevölkerung gefunden. Diese Arbeit leitet Empfehlungen für zukünftige Untersuchungen ab, die diesen Zusammenhang weiter aufklären können und dessen besseres Verständnis zu gezielteren und effektiveren Behandlungen für Depressionen in der Adoleszenz beitragen kann.

Keywords: Abgeschwächte FRN Potentiale (EEG); Belohnungsverarbeitung; Depression bei Jugendlichen; Reduzierte striatale Reaktionen (MRT); adolescent depression; blunted feedback-related negativity (EEG); reduced striatal responses (MRI); review; reward processing; Übersicht.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interests

This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIMH. The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

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