title: Neural correlates of social approach and withdrawal in patients with major depression.
abstract: Successful human interaction is based on correct recognition, interpretation, and appropriate reaction to facial affect. In depression, social skill deficits are among the most restraining symptoms leading to social withdrawal, thereby aggravating social isolation and depressive affect. Dysfunctional approach and withdrawal tendencies to emotional stimuli have been documented, but the investigation of their neural underpinnings has received limited attention. We performed an fMRI study including 15 depressive patients and 15 matched, healthy controls. All subjects performed two tasks, an implicit joystick task as well as an explicit rating task, both using happy, neutral, and angry facial expressions. Behavioral data analysis indicated a significant group effect, with depressed patients showing more withdrawal than controls. Analysis of the functional data revealed significant group effects for both tasks. Among other regions, we observed significant group differences in amygdala activation, with patients showing less response particularly during approach to happy faces. Additionally, significant correlations of amygdala activation with psychopathology emerged, suggesting that more pronounced symptoms are accompanied by stronger decreases of amygdala activation. Hence, our results demonstrate that depressed patients show dysfunctional social approach and withdrawal behavior, which in turn may aggravate the disorder by negative social interactions contributing to isolation and reinforcing cognitive biases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical, Biological, and Differential Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. birgit.derntl@univie.ac.at
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Derntl
authors.forename: Eva-Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.forename: Simon B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Eickhoff
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kellermann
authors.forename: Ruben C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gur
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Habel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior