title: Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression changes medial prefrontal and ventral anterior cingulate cortex activity associated with self-referential processing.
abstract: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), an effective treatment for depression, targets self-referential processing of emotional stimuli. We examined the effects of CBT on brain functioning during self-referential processing in depressive patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Depressive patients (n = 23) and healthy participants (n = 15) underwent fMRI scans during a self-referential task using emotional trait words. The depressive patients had fMRI scans before and after completing a total of 12 weekly sessions of group CBT for depression, whereas the healthy participants underwent fMRI scans 12 weeks apart with no intervention. Before undergoing CBT, the depressive patients showed hyperactivity in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) during self-referential processing of negative words. Following CBT, MPFC and ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC) activity during self-referential processing among depressive patients was increased for positive stimuli, whereas it was decreased for negative stimuli. Improvements in depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with vACC activity during self-referential processing of negative stimuli. These results suggest that CBT-related improvements in depressive symptoms are associated with changes in MPFC and vACC activation during self-referential processing of emotional stimuli.
authors: Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan. syoshimura1981@hotmail.co.jp.
authors: Shinpei
authors: S
authors: Yoshimura
authors: Yasumasa
authors: Y
authors: Okamoto
authors: Keiichi
authors: K
authors: Onoda
authors: Miki
authors: M
authors: Matsunaga
authors: Go
authors: G
authors: Okada
authors: Yoshihiko
authors: Y
authors: Kunisato
authors: Atsuo
authors: A
authors: Yoshino
authors: Kazutaka
authors: K
authors: Ueda
authors: Shin-ichi
authors: S
authors: Suzuki
authors: Shigeto
authors: S
authors: Yamawaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007600:Judgment; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: cognitive behavioral therapy; depression; emotion; fMRI; self-referential processing