The heritability of hedonic capacity and perceived stress: a twin study evaluation of candidate depressive phenotypes
Open accessAbstract
Background: Anhedonia and stress sensitivity have been identified as promising depressive phenotypes. Research suggests that stress-induced anhedonia is a possible mechanism underlying the association between stress and depression. The present proof-of-concept study assessed whether hedonic capacity and stress perception are heritable and whether their genetic and environmental contributions are shared. Method: Twenty monozygotic (MZ) and 15 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs completed a probabilistic reward task that provides an objective behavioral measure of hedonic capacity (reward responsiveness) and completed several questionnaires including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Bivariate Cholesky models were used to investigate whether covariation between (1) depressive symptoms and hedonic capacity, (2) depressive symptoms and perceived stress, and (3) perceived stress and hedonic capacity resulted from shared or residual genetic and environmental factors. Results: Additive genetic (A) and individual-specific environment (E) factors contributed to 46% and 54% of the variance in hedonic capacity, respectively. For perceived stress, 44% and 56% of the variance was accounted for by A and E factors, respectively. The genetic correlation between depression and hedonic capacity was moderate (ra=0.29), whereas the correlation between depression and stress perception was large (ra=0.67). Genetic and environmental correlations between hedonic capacity and stress perception were large (ra=0.72 and re=−0.43). Conclusions: The present study provides initial feasibility for using a twin approach to investigate genetic contributions of a laboratory-based anhedonic phenotype. Although these preliminary findings indicate that hedonic capacity and perceived stress are heritable, with substantial shared additive genetic contributions, replications in larger samples will be needed.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The heritability of reward learning is estimated to be 0.46.
“A twin study estimated the heritability of reward learning to be 0.46 (Bogdan and Pizzagalli, 2009), as assessed by a commonly used Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT; Pizzagalli et al, 2005a).”
From Neural Correlates of Three Promising Endophenotypes of Depression: Evidence from the EMBARC Study (2016) · cites this paper as Bogdan and Pizzagalli, 2009
Cites
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (2013) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.104 · Cited by 109,841 · see citing works
A Global Measure of Perceived Stress
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/2136404 · Cited by 32,807 · see citing works
Detection Theory: A User's Guide
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (1991) · Cited by 5,415 · see citing works
Detection theory: A user's guide
Lories, G. (1993) · Behavioural Processes · doi:10.1016/0376-6357(93)90083-4 · Cited by 2,927 · see citing works
NEURAL MECHANISMS OF ADDICTION: The Role of Reward-Related Learning and Memory
Hyman, S. E., Malenka, R. C., & Nestler, E. J. (2006) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.29.051605.113009 · Cited by 2,647 · see citing works
Watson, D., Weber, K., Assenheimer, J. S., Clark, L. A., Strauss, M. E., & McCormick, R. A. (1995) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-843x.104.1.3 · Cited by 1,423 · see citing works
Watson, D., Weber, K., Assenheimer, J. S., Clark, L. A., Strauss, M. E., & McCormick, R. A. (1995) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037//0021-843x.104.1.3 · Cited by 1,423 · see citing works
Affective neuroscience of pleasure: reward in humans and animals
Berridge, K. C., & Kringelbach, M. L. (2008) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1099-6 · Cited by 1,254 · see citing works
Intermediate phenotypes and genetic mechanisms of psychiatric disorders
Meyer-Lindenberg, A., & Weinberger, D. R. (2006) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1993 · Cited by 1,216 · see citing works
Discovering Endophenotypes for Major Depression
Hasler, G., Drevets, W. C., Manji, H. K., & Charney, D. S. (2004) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300506 · Cited by 1,123 · see citing works
Detection theory: A user's guide, 2nd ed.
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (2005) · Cited by 1,117 · see citing works
Kreek, M. J., Nielsen, D. A., Butelman, E. R., & LaForge, K. S. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1583 · Cited by 1,024 · see citing works
Reduced hedonic capacity in major depressive disorder: evidence from a probabilistic reward task
Pizzagalli, D. A., Iosifescu, D., Hallett, L. A., Ratner, K. G., & Fava, M. (2008) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2008.03.001 · Cited by 780 · see citing works
Self-citationAnalytic approaches to twin data using structural equation models
Rijsdijk, F. V. (2002) · Briefings in Bioinformatics · doi:10.1093/bib/3.2.119 · Cited by 761 · see citing works
Toward an objective characterization of an anhedonic phenotype: A signal-detection approach
Pizzagalli, D. A., Jahn, A. L., & O’Shea, J. P. (2005) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.11.026 · Cited by 738 · see citing works
Self-citationPersonality and Major Depression: A Swedish Longitudinal, Population-Based Twin Study
Kendler, K. S., Gatz, M., Gardner, C. O., & Pedersen, N. L. (2006) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.63.10.1113 · Cited by 663 · see citing works
The Neural Correlates of Anhedonia in Major Depressive Disorder
Keedwell, P. A., Andrew, C., Williams, S. C. R., Brammer, M. J., & Phillips, M. L. (2005) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.05.019 · Cited by 650 · see citing works
Stress, depression, and anhedonia: caveats concerning animal models
Anisman, H., & Matheson, K. (2005) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2005.03.007 · Cited by 569 · see citing works
Behavioral activation and inhibition systems and the severity and course of depression.
Kasch, K. L., Rottenberg, J., Arnow, B. A., & Gotlib, I. H. (2002) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-843x.111.4.589 · Cited by 551 · see citing works
Can neuroscience be integrated into the DSM-V?
Hyman, S. E. (2007) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2218 · Cited by 516 · see citing works
D2 dopamine receptor gene in psychiatric and neurologic disorders and its phenotypes
Noble, E. P. (2003) · American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics · doi:10.1002/ajmg.b.10005 · Cited by 501 · see citing works
Heath, A. C., Cloninger, C. R., & Martin, N. G. (1994) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.66.4.762 · Cited by 427 · see citing works
Cooper, J. E. (2001) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.179.1.85-a · Cited by 425 · see citing works
Acute stress reduces reward responsiveness: Implications for depression
Bogdan, R., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2006) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.037 · Cited by 364 · see citing works
Self-citationKendler, K. S., Gardner, C. O., Gatz, M., & Pedersen, N. L. (2006) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291706009135 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Hedonic capacity: some conjectures.
Meehl, P. E. (1975) · PubMed · Cited by 321 · see citing works
Heath, A. C., Cloninger, C. R., & Martin, N. G. (1994) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.4.762 · Cited by 314 · see citing works
Kasriel, J., & Eaves, L. J. (1976) · Journal of Biosocial Science · doi:10.1017/s0021932000010737 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Pizzagalli, D. A., Evins, A. E., Schetter, E. C., Frank, M. J., Pajtas, P. E., Santesso, D. L., & Culhane, M. (2008) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-007-0957-y · Cited by 219 · see citing works
Self-citationKeller, M. C., Coventry, W. L., Heath, A. C., & Martin, N. G. (2005) · Behavior Genetics · doi:10.1007/s10519-005-6041-7 · Cited by 219 · see citing works
The structure of schizotypy: A pilot multitrait twin study
Kendler, K. S., Ochs, A. L., Gorman, A. M., Hewitt, J. K., Ross, D. E., & Mirsky, A. F. (1991) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/0165-1781(91)90114-5 · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Vulnerability to depression: A model centered on anhedonia
Loas, G. (1996) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/0165-0327(96)00065-1 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
Sensitivity to Reward Frequency in Boys With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Tripp, G., & Alsop, B. (1999) · Journal of Clinical Child Psychology · doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp280309 · Cited by 183 · see citing works
Pizzagalli, D. A., Bogdan, R., Ratner, K. G., & Jahn, A. L. (2007) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2007.07.013 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Self-citationOtte, C., McCaffery, J. M., Ali, S., & Whooley, M. A. (2007) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.06101617 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
A quantitative genetic analysis of schizotypal personality traits
Linney, Y., Murray, R. M., PETERS, E. R., MacDONALD, A. M., Rijsdijk, F. V., & Sham, P. C. (2003) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291703007906 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Zygosity Diagnosis of Twins by Questionnaire
Ooki, S., Yamada, K., Asaka, A., & Hayakawa, K. (1990) · Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae · doi:10.1017/s0001566000005626 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Barr, R. S., Pizzagalli, D. A., Maravić, M. C., GOFF, D. C., & Evins, A. E. (2007) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.09.015 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Self-citationThe effect of stress on hedonic capacity.
Berenbaum, H., & Connelly, J. (1993) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-843x.102.3.474 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Genetic and environmental influences on schizotypy: a community-based twin study
MacDonald, A. W., Pogue-Geile, M. F., Debski, T. T., & Manuck, S. (2001) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a006859 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
The heritability of perceived stress
Federenko, I. S., Schlotz, W., Kirschbaum, C., Bartels, M., Hellhammer, D. H., & Wüst, S. (2006) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291705006616 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Dimensions of temperament as vulnerability factors in depression
Ono, Y., Ando, J., Onoda, N., Yoshimura, K., Momose, T., Hirano, M., & Kanba, S. (2002) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001122 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Heritability of anterior cingulate response to conflict: An fMRI study in female twins
Matthews, S. C., Simmons, A. N., Strigo, I. A., Jang, K. L., Stein, M. B., & Paulus, M. P. (2007) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.07.015 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Ørstavik, R., Kendler, K. S., Czajkowski, N. O., Tambs, K., & Reichborn‐Kjennerud, T. (2007) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07010045 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Hay, D. A., Martin, N. G., Foley, D., Treloar, S. A., Kirk, K. M., & Heath, A. C. (2001) · Twin Research · doi:10.1375/twin.4.1.30 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Hedonic capacity in schizophrenics and their twins
Berenbaum, H., Oltmanns, T. F., & Gottesman, I. I. (1990) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291700017682 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Individual Differences in Hedonic Capacity
Dworkin, R. H., & Saczynski, K. (1984) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa4806_8 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Candrian, M., Farabaugh, A. H., Pizzagalli, D. A., Baer, L., & D, M. F. M. (2007) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e318142cbd5 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Dooley, L. N., Kuhlman, K. R., Robles, T. F., Eisenberger, N. I., Craske, M. G., & Bower, J. E. (2018) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.006 · Cited by 176 · see citing works
A review of selected candidate endophenotypes for depression
Goldstein, B. L., & Klein, D. N. (2014) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.06.003 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Neural Correlates of Three Promising Endophenotypes of Depression: Evidence from the EMBARC Study
Webb, C. A., Dillon, D. G., Pechtel, P., Goer, F. K., Murray, L., Huys, Q. J., Fava, M., McGrath, P. J., Weissman, M., Parsey, R., et al. (2016) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2015.165 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Self-citationAnhedonia in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Beyond comorbid depression
Abramovitch, A., Pizzagalli, D. A., Reuman, L., & Wilhelm, S. (2014) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.02.002 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Self-citationWitt, S. H., Buchmann, A. F., Blomeyer, D., Nieratschker, V., Treutlein, J., Esser, G., Schmidt, M. H., Bidlingmaier, M., Wiedemann, K., Rietschel, M., et al. (2011) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.12.015 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Anhedonia modulates the effects of positive mood induction on reward-related brain activation
Green, I. W., Pizzagalli, D. A., Admon, R., & Kumar, P. (2019) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.02.063 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Bogdan, R., & Pizzagalli, D. A.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pizzagalli, D. A.
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2008-05-28
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 211-218
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- PMC
- PMC2628414
- OpenAlex
- W2109537197
- Cited by
- 104
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 1.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH068376, R01 MH68376)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R90DA023427)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- hedonic capacity, anhedonia, perceived stress, stress sensitivity, depression, depressive phenotype, heritability, genetic correlation, additive genetic effects, probabilistic reward task, reward responsiveness, monozygotic and dizygotic twins
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Anxiety Disorders, Attitude, Cognition, Depression, Environment, Female, Humans, Male, Phenotype, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reaction Time, Reward, Stress, Psychological, Twins
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
