Reward Processing in Adolescent Depression Across Neuroimaging Modalities: A Review
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Abstract. Depressive symptoms have long been associated with abnormalities in neural processing of reward. However, no review has yet consolidated evidence of such deficits in adolescent depression, integrating findings across neuroimaging modalities, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). The current review found consistent evidence of reduced striatal responses in anticipation and upon receipt of rewards, and blunted feedback-related negativity (FRN) potentials associated with depression in adolescence, consistent with the adult literature. Furthermore, while these occurred in currently depressed adolescents, they were also found to be predictive of the onset of depressive symptoms in longitudinal studies with community-based adolescent samples. This paper makes recommendations for future work to continue to elucidate this relationship, a greater understanding of which may lead to more targeted and efficacious treatments for depression in adolescence.
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In tasks probing consummatory anhedonia, major depressive disorder has been associated with reduced activation in ventral and dorsal striatum, anterior cingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex but hyperactivation in medial prefrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex including subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
“In tasks probing consummatory anhedonia (e.g., receipt of secondary rewards such as money), MDD has been associated with reduced activation in ventral (nucleus accumbens) and dorsal (caudate, putamen) striatum, ACC (rostral, dorsal), and OFC but hyperactivation in the mPFC, vmPFC (including sgACC) and dlPFC [100, 102, 104].”
From Prefrontal cortex and depression (2022) · cites this paper as [104]
Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAcross studies, over-recruitment of prefrontal cortex regions, including medial prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, during reward processing has been interpreted as suggesting over-compensation for reduced striatal responses to rewards.
“Across studies, over-recruitment of PFC regions (mPFC, dlPFC) during reward processing has been interpreted as suggesting over-compensation for reduced striatal responses to rewards [104, 111, 112].”
From Prefrontal cortex and depression (2022) · cites this paper as [104]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredImaging studies in children and adolescents with MDD have highlighted blunted ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation, often accompanied by over-recruitment of PFC regions (e.g., pgACC/vmPFC).
“Imaging studies in children and adolescents with MDD have also highlighted blunted ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation, which was often accompanied by over-recruitment of PFC regions (e.g., pgACC/vmPFC) [104].”
From Prefrontal cortex and depression (2022) · cites this paper as [104]
The Functional MRI Findings section reports reduced caudate activation during reward anticipation in children and adolescents with MDD, as well as greater medial prefrontal activity during anticipation in depressed adolescents. But it says youth findings were primarily in the bilateral caudate, with more ventral reductions seen in adults. It does not establish that pgACC/vmPFC over-recruitment often accompanied the reduced activation in the same young patients (page unavailable in our copy). (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn general, blunted striatal activation coupled with over-recruitment of prefrontal cortex regions including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during reward outcome has emerged.
“In general, blunted striatal activation coupled with over-recruitment of PFC regionsincluding the dlPFC during reward outcomehas emerged [104].”
From Prefrontal cortex and depression (2022) · cites this paper as [104]
Evidence of disrupted frontostriatal activation during reward consumption has been reported also in children with major depressive disorder, suggesting that such dysfunctions emerge early.
“Evidence of disrupted frontostriatal activation during reward consumption has been reported also in children with MDD, suggesting that such dysfunctions emerge early.”
From Prefrontal cortex and depression (2022) · cites this paper as [104]
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References 64 · Cited by 63
- Authors
- O’Callaghan, G., & Stringaris, A.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Venue
- Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie
- Publisher
- Hogrefe Publishing Group
- Published
- 2019-11-01
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 535-541
- ISSN
- 1422-4917 (ISSN-L)
- 1664-2880
- PMC
- PMC6996129
- OpenAlex
- W2936169897
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 0.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- de
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (Z99 MH999999)
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- adolescent depression, reward processing, feedback-related negativity, neuroimaging findings, functional MRI, EEG
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Electroencephalography, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Reward, Neuroimaging
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