title: Remitted major depression is characterized by reduced prefrontal cortex reactivity to reward loss.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Major depression (MDD) is characterized by anhedonia. Although a growing body of literature has linked anhedonia in MDD to reduced frontostriatal activity during reward gains, relatively few studies have examined neural responsivity to loss, and no studies to date have examined neural responses to loss in euthymic individuals with a history of MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  An fMRI monetary incentive delay task was administered to 19 participants with remitted MDD (rMDD) and 19 never depressed controls. Analyses examined group activation differences in brain reward circuitry during monetary loss anticipation and outcomes. Secondary analyses examined the association between self-reported rumination and brain activation in the rMDD group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to controls, the rMDD group showed less superior frontal gyrus activation during loss anticipation and less inferior and superior frontal gyri activation during loss outcomes (cluster corrected p's<.05). Ruminative Responses Scale scores were negatively correlated with superior frontal gyrus activation (r=-.68, p=.001) during loss outcomes in the rMDD group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Replication with a larger sample is needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Euthymic individuals with a history of MDD showed prefrontal cortex hypoactivation during loss anticipation and outcomes, and the degree of superior frontal gyrus hypoactivation was associated with rumination. Abnormal prefrontal cortex responses to loss may reflect a trait-like vulnerability to MDD, although future research is needed to evaluate the utility of this functional neural endophenotype as a prospective risk marker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: crystal_schiller@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Crystal Edler
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schiller
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States.
authors.forename: Jared
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Minkel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Moria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Smoski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States; Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Gabriel S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Dichter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anticipation; Magnetic resonance imaging; Major depressive disorder; Remission; Reward; Rumination