TY - JOUR
T1 - From laboratory to life
T2 - associating brain reward processing with real-life motivated behaviour and symptoms of depression in non-help-seeking young adults
AU - Bakker, Jindra M.
AU - Goossens, Liesbet
AU - Kumar, Poornima
AU - Lange, Iris M. J.
AU - Michielse, Stijn
AU - Schruers, Koen
AU - Bastiaansen, Jojanneke A.
AU - Lieverse, Ritsaert
AU - Marcelis, Machteld
AU - van Amelsvoort, Therese
AU - van Os, Jim
AU - Myin-Germeys, Inez
AU - Pizzagalli, Diego A.
AU - Wichers, Marieke
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by grants from the Weijerhorst Foundation (J.v.O.); the Brain Foundation of the Netherlands (M.W., grant number 2012(1)-03); and a Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation travel grant (J.M.B., 2016). DAP was partially supported by R37 MH068376 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). PK was partially supported by a NARSAD Young Investigator award and by a R21MH105775 from NIMH.
Publisher Copyright:
© Cambridge University Press 2018.
PY - 2019/10
Y1 - 2019/10
N2 - Background Depression has been associated with abnormalities in neural underpinnings of Reward Learning (RL). However, inconsistencies have emerged, possibly owing to medication effects. Additionally, it remains unclear how neural RL signals relate to real-life behaviour. The current study, therefore, examined neural RL signals in young, mildly to moderately depressed - but non-help-seeking and unmedicated - individuals and how these signals are associated with depressive symptoms and real-life motivated behaviour. Methods Individuals with symptoms along the depression continuum (n = 87) were recruited from the community. They performed an RL task during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and were assessed with the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), completing short questionnaires on emotions and behaviours up to 10 times/day for 15 days. Q-learning model-derived Reward Prediction Errors (RPEs) were examined in striatal areas, and subsequently associated with depressive symptoms and an ESM measure capturing (non-linearly) how anticipation of reward experience corresponds to actual reward experience later on. Results Significant RPE signals were found in the striatum, insula, amygdala, hippocampus, frontal and occipital cortices. Region-of-interest analyses revealed a significant association between RPE signals and (a) self-reported depressive symptoms in the right nucleus accumbens (b = -0.017, p = 0.006) and putamen (b = -0.013, p = .012); and (b) the quadratic ESM variable in the left (b = 0.010, p = .010) and right (b = 0.026, p = 0.011) nucleus accumbens and right putamen (b = 0.047, p <0.001). Conclusions Striatal RPE signals are disrupted along the depression continuum. Moreover, they are associated with reward-related behaviour in real-life, suggesting that real-life coupling of reward anticipation and engagement in rewarding activities might be a relevant target of psychological therapies for depression.
AB - Background Depression has been associated with abnormalities in neural underpinnings of Reward Learning (RL). However, inconsistencies have emerged, possibly owing to medication effects. Additionally, it remains unclear how neural RL signals relate to real-life behaviour. The current study, therefore, examined neural RL signals in young, mildly to moderately depressed - but non-help-seeking and unmedicated - individuals and how these signals are associated with depressive symptoms and real-life motivated behaviour. Methods Individuals with symptoms along the depression continuum (n = 87) were recruited from the community. They performed an RL task during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and were assessed with the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), completing short questionnaires on emotions and behaviours up to 10 times/day for 15 days. Q-learning model-derived Reward Prediction Errors (RPEs) were examined in striatal areas, and subsequently associated with depressive symptoms and an ESM measure capturing (non-linearly) how anticipation of reward experience corresponds to actual reward experience later on. Results Significant RPE signals were found in the striatum, insula, amygdala, hippocampus, frontal and occipital cortices. Region-of-interest analyses revealed a significant association between RPE signals and (a) self-reported depressive symptoms in the right nucleus accumbens (b = -0.017, p = 0.006) and putamen (b = -0.013, p = .012); and (b) the quadratic ESM variable in the left (b = 0.010, p = .010) and right (b = 0.026, p = 0.011) nucleus accumbens and right putamen (b = 0.047, p <0.001). Conclusions Striatal RPE signals are disrupted along the depression continuum. Moreover, they are associated with reward-related behaviour in real-life, suggesting that real-life coupling of reward anticipation and engagement in rewarding activities might be a relevant target of psychological therapies for depression.
KW - Depression continuum
KW - experience sampling method
KW - fMRI
KW - reward learning
KW - PREDICTION ERROR
KW - UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION
KW - MAJOR DEPRESSION
KW - POSITIVE AFFECT
KW - EXPERIENCE
KW - PLEASURE
KW - ACTIVATION
KW - DISORDER
KW - RISK
KW - PUNISHMENT
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291718003446
DO - 10.1017/S0033291718003446
M3 - Article
C2 - 30488820
SN - 0033-2917
VL - 49
SP - 2441
EP - 2451
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
IS - 14
ER -