Neuroimaging of Reward Processing in Major Depression

Major depressive disorder is characterised by profound disturbances in the neural systems that mediate reward anticipation, consumption and learning. Neuroimaging studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging and structural MRI have consistently revealed blunted activation in the ventral striatum during reward anticipation, aberrant responses in orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal regions during reward receipt, and volumetric reductions in nuclei such as the nucleus accumbens. Resting‐state analyses demonstrate altered synchrony between the prefrontal cortex, striatum and thalamus, correlating with clinical measures of anhedonia and negative affect. Collectively, these findings support a model in which diminished dopaminergic signalling and corticostriatal dysregulation underpin reduced capacity to experience pleasure. This work has global significance for identifying neurobiological markers of prognosis, stratifying patients for personalised interventions and guiding the development of neuromodulation treatments targeting dysfunctional reward circuits.

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Neuroimaging of Reward Processing in Major Depression publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in neuroimaging of reward processing in major depression across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Anhedonia: A diminished ability to experience pleasure or interest in normally rewarding activities.

Ventral striatum: A subcortical region central to reward anticipation and processing, encompassing the nucleus accumbens.

Orbitofrontal cortex: A prefrontal region involved in evaluating reward value and guiding decision-making.

Functional connectivity: A measure of statistical dependence or synchrony between activity in different brain regions over time.

Resting-state fMRI: A non-invasive imaging technique assessing spontaneous brain activity patterns when a subject is not engaged in a task.

References

1. A distinctive subcortical functional connectivity pattern linking negative affect and treatment outcome in major depressive disorder. Translational Psychiatry (2024).
2. Neural substrates of predicting anhedonia symptoms in major depressive disorder via connectome‐based modeling. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics (2024).
3. Meta-analysis of reward processing in major depressive disorder reveals distinct abnormalities within the reward circuit. Translational Psychiatry (2019).