title: Neural Activation During Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Previously Depressed Compared to Healthy Children: Evidence of Specific Alterations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Impairments in cognitive emotion regulation (CER) have been linked to functional neural abnormalities and the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Few functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have investigated the neural underpinnings of CER in samples with depression. As CER develops in childhood, understanding dysfunctional CER-related alterations in brain function during this period could advance knowledge of the developmental psychopathology of MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study tested whether neural activity in brain regions known to support cognitive reappraisal differed between healthy 7- to 15-year-old children and same-age peers with a history of MDD (MDD-ever). A total of 64 children participated in this event-related fMRI study, which used a developmentally appropriate and validated fMRI reappraisal task. Children were instructed to passively view sad or neutral images and to decrease negative emotions using cognitive reappraisal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MDD-ever and healthy children showed similar patterns of cortical activation during reappraisal, but with a significant difference found in 1 key CER region, the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). In addition, individual differences in CER were associated with left IFG activity during reappraisal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alterations in the neurocircuitry of reappraisal are evident in children with a depression history compared to healthy controls. The finding that MDD-ever children showed reappraisal-related neural responses in many regions similar to healthy controls has clinical implications. Findings suggest that identification of alterations in reappraisal in children with remitted depression, for whom much, although not all, of the neural circuitry remains intact, may be an important window of opportunity for intervention.
authors: Washington University in St. Louis. Electronic address: beldena@psychiatry.wustl.edu.
authors: Andy C
authors: AC
authors: Belden
authors: Washington University in St. Louis; Program in Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Pagliaccio
authors: Washington University in St. Louis.
authors: Eric R
authors: ER
authors: Murphy
authors: Washington University in St. Louis.
authors: Joan L
authors: JL
authors: Luby
authors: Washington University in St. Louis; Program in Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis.
authors: Deanna M
authors: DM
authors: Barch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014861:Washington
keywords: MDD; childhood depression; cognitive reappraisal; emotion regulation; fMRI