Neural Processing of Emotional Musical and Nonmusical Stimuli in Depression.
BACKGROUND
Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and striatum are part of the emotional neural circuitry implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD). Music is often used for emotion regulation, and pleasurable music listening activates the dopaminergic system in the brain, including the ACC. The present study uses functional MRI (fMRI) and an emotional nonmusical and musical stimuli paradigm to examine how neural processing of emotionally provocative auditory stimuli is altered within the ACC and striatum in depression.


METHODS
Nineteen MDD and 20 never-depressed (ND) control participants listened to standardized positive and negative emotional musical and nonmusical stimuli during fMRI scanning and gave subjective ratings of valence and arousal following scanning.


RESULTS
ND participants exhibited greater activation to positive versus negative stimuli in ventral ACC. When compared with ND participants, MDD participants showed a different pattern of activation in ACC. In the rostral part of the ACC, ND participants showed greater activation for positive information, while MDD participants showed greater activation to negative information. In dorsal ACC, the pattern of activation distinguished between the types of stimuli, with ND participants showing greater activation to music compared to nonmusical stimuli, while MDD participants showed greater activation to nonmusical stimuli, with the greatest response to negative nonmusical stimuli. No group differences were found in striatum.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that people with depression may process emotional auditory stimuli differently based on both the type of stimulation and the emotional content of that stimulation. This raises the possibility that music may be useful in retraining ACC function, potentially leading to more effective and targeted treatments.
Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America.
Rebecca J
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9269-051X
RJ
Lepping
Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
Ruth Ann
RA
Atchley
Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
Evangelia
E
Chrysikou
Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America.|Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America.
Laura E
LE
Martin
Department of Music Education and Music Therapy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
Alicia A
AA
Clair
Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
Rick E
RE
Ingram
Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America.|Faculty of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America.
W Kyle
WK
Simmons
Center for Health Behavior Neuroscience, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States of America.
Cary R
CR
Savage
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult