title: Rapid habituation of ventral striatal response to reward receipt in postpartum depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about neural mechanisms of postpartum depression (PPD). Previous research notes ventral striatal activity and dopamine release increases with maternal attachment but decreases in major depressive disorder. This study tests the hypothesis that striatal response to reward is altered in PPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygenation level-dependent acquisition during a fast event-related card-guessing, monetary reward task. Time series data from an independent sample of 10 healthy mothers were used to establish the ventral striatal region of interest (ROI). Repeated-measures analysis of variance of time series data in the established ROI was then conducted for a discrete group of healthy (n = 12) and depressed, unmedicated mothers (n = 12).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from the independent sample of 10 healthy mothers established an ROI in the left ventral striatum (-13, 12, -4, 477 mm(3)), with cluster significance p < .01, corrected. There was a significant quadratic interaction of time × group [F(1,22) = 5.22, p = .032] in this ROI in the healthy (n = 12) and depressed mothers (n = 12). This effect represents a nonlinear attenuation of ventral striatal response with time that was greater in depressed than healthy mothers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rapid attenuation of ventral striatal response to reward receipt in postpartum depression might represent an important neural mechanism of postpartum depression. Additional study with infant stimuli and in relationship to mother-infant behavior is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. MosesEL@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Eydie L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Moses-Kolko
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Wisner
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: A Tova
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Saul
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fiez
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012201:Reward; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen