fMRI of alterations in reward selection, anticipation, and feedback in major depressive disorder
Open accessAbstract
The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate reward processing in unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD). Specifically, we investigated whether adults with MDD demonstrated hyporesponsivity in striatal brain regions and/or hyperresponsivity in cortical brain regions involved in conflict monitoring using a Wheel of Fortune task designed to probe responses during reward selection, reward anticipation, and reward feedback. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data indicated that the MDD group was characterized by reduced activation of striatal reward regions during reward selection, reward anticipation, and reward feedback, supporting previous data indicating hyporesponsivity of reward systems in MDD. Support was not found for hyperresponsivity of cognitive control regions during reward selection or reward anticipation. Instead, MDD participants showed hyperresponsivity in orbitofrontal cortex, a region associated with assessment of risk and reward, during reward selection, as well as decreased activation of the middle frontal gyrus and the rostral cingulate gyrus during reward selection and anticipation. Finally, depression severity was predicted by activation in bilateral midfrontal gyrus during reward selection. Results indicate that MDD is characterized by striatal hyporesponsivity, and that future studies of MDD treatments that seek to improve responses to rewarding stimuli should assess striatal functioning.
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In a wheel-of-fortune task, adults with MDD showed greater left OFC activation but reduced pgACC activation during the selection phase relative to controls.
“In studies using a “wheel-offortune” task, which involves making choices about varying amounts of monetary rewards with varying levels of risk, adults with MDD showed greater left OFC activation but reduced pgACC activation during the selection phase relative to controls; in addition, they showed greater activation to wins in the left inferior frontal gyrus (BA9/45) than controls [132].”
From Prefrontal cortex and depression (2022) · cites this paper as [132]
The Results (Imaging Data, Reward Selection; page not provided) report greater left orbitofrontal activation in adults with MDD and greater paracingulate-gyrus activation in controls during the Wheel of Fortune task. The copy does not identify the latter region as pgACC, so it does not establish that more specific anatomical claim. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn a wheel-of-fortune task, adults with MDD showed greater activation to wins in the left inferior frontal gyrus (BA9/45) than controls.
“In studies using a “wheel-offortune” task, which involves making choices about varying amounts of monetary rewards with varying levels of risk, adults with MDD showed greater left OFC activation but reduced pgACC activation during the selection phase relative to controls; in addition, they showed greater activation to wins in the left inferior frontal gyrus (BA9/45) than controls [132].”
From Prefrontal cortex and depression (2022) · cites this paper as [132]
Depression is associated with reduced responding of the brain reward pathways to social and financial rewards, such that there is an attenuated activation of the NAcc in response to social reward stimuli.
“Depression is associated with reduced responding of the brain reward pathways to social and financial rewards, such that there is an attenuated activation of the NAcc (see Fig. 1) in response to the social reward stimuli (Schaefer et al., 2006;Smoski et al., 2009).”
From Social functioning in major depressive disorder (2016) · cites this paper as Smoski et al., 2009
Outpatients with unipolar MDD have reduced striatal activation during reward selection, reward anticipation, and reward feedback in a gambling task.
“For example, Smoski et al. [228] reported that during a gambling task, outpatients with unipolar MDD had reduced striatal activation during reward selection, reward anticipation, and reward feedback”
From Reward circuitry dysfunction in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic syndromes: animal models and clinical findings (2012) · cites this paper as [228]
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References 35 · Cited by 328
- Authors
- Smoski, M. J., Felder, J., Bizzell, J., Green, S. R., Ernst, M., Lynch, T. R., & Dichter, G. S.
- Affiliations
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Corresponding author
- Smoski, Moria J.
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-11
- Volume
- 118
- Issue
- 1-3
- Pages
- 69-78
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2745481
- OpenAlex
- W2032378574
- Cited by
- 328
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 8.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
- UNC Libraries
- Funders
- U.S. Public Health Service (NICHD T32-HD40127, NCRR K12 RR023248, NIMH K23 MH081285, NICHD K12 HD043446)
- National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH070448, K23MH087754, MH078145, R03MH078145, K23MH081285)
- National Center for Research Resources (K12RR023248)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K12HD043446, T32HD040127)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Keywords
- major depressive disorder, reward processing, reward anticipation, reward feedback, orbitofrontal cortex, cognitive control, conflict monitoring, depression severity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Arousal, Brain, Brain Mapping, Choice Behavior, Corpus Striatum, Decision Making, Major Depressive Disorder, Dominance, Cerebral, Female, Frontal Lobe, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Nerve Net, Nucleus Accumbens, Reward, Feedback, Psychological, Young Adult
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