The DOI matches its Crossref record; 40 of the 40 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Effort-based decision-making in major depressive disorder: a translational model of motivational anhedonia
Open accessAbstract
Anhedonia is a core feature of major depressive disorder (MDD), but the precise nature of anhedonic symptoms is unknown. Whereas anhedonia has traditionally been viewed as a deficit in the experience of pleasure, more recent evidence suggests that reduced anticipation and motivation may also be a core feature of this symptom. Here, we provide data from a study in MDD patients and healthy controls using a translational measure of reward motivation, the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT or "effort"). This task offers subjects a series of trials where they may choose to expend more or less effort for the opportunity to win varying amounts of monetary rewards. We found that MDD patients were less willing to expend effort for rewards than controls. Additionally, we observed that patients were less able to effectively use information about magnitude and probability of rewards to guide their choice behavior. Finally, within the MDD patient group, duration of the current episode was a significant negative predictor of EEfRT task performance. These findings offer novel support for theoretical models proposing that anhedonia in MDD may reflect specific impairments in motivation and reward-based decision-making.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
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?
In the citing paper
“individuals with MDD have similar hedonic responses to sweet solutions compared to controls (Berlin et al., 1998), but are less likely to engage in tasks requiring higher amounts of effort (Treadway et al., 2012).”
From The effects of early life stress on reward processing (2018) · cites this paper as Treadway et al., 2012
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Longitudinal Data Analysis for Discrete and Continuous Outcomes
Zeger, S. L., & Liang, K. (1986) · Biometrics · doi:10.2307/2531248 · Cited by 7,781
Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation.
Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E., & Teasdale, J. D. (1978) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037//0021-843x.87.1.49 · Cited by 7,121
Comparison of Beck Depression Inventories -IA and -II in psychiatric outpatients
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., Ball, R., & Ranieri, W. F. (1996) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa6703_13 · Cited by 5,965
Hopelessness depression: A theory-based subtype of depression.
Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Alloy, L. B. (1989) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037//0033-295x.96.2.358 · Cited by 3,722
Berridge, K. C., & Robinson, T. E. (2003) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/s0166-2236(03)00233-9 · Cited by 1,869
Dimidjian, S., Hollon, S. D., Dobson, K. S., Schmaling, K. B., Kohlenberg, R. J., Addis, M. E., Gallop, R., McGlinchey, J. B., Markley, D. K., Gollan, J. K., et al. (2006) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.74.4.658 · Cited by 1,607 · cited 2×
“the success of behavioral activation treatments for MDD, which specifically target motivational symptoms (Dimidjian et al., 2006).”
Reconsidering anhedonia in depression: Lessons from translational neuroscience
Treadway, M. T., & Zald, D. H. (2011) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.06.006 · Cited by 1,579
Self-citationScales for physical and social anhedonia.
Chapman, L. J., Chapman, J. P., & Raulin, M. L. (1976) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-843x.85.4.374 · Cited by 1,234
Effort-related functions of nucleus accumbens dopamine and associated forebrain circuits
Salamone, J. D., Correa, M., Farrar, A., & Mingote, S. M. (2007) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-006-0668-9 · Cited by 1,000
A meta-analysis of emotional reactivity in major depressive disorder
Bylsma, L. M., Morris, B. H., & Rottenberg, J. (2008) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2007.10.001 · Cited by 933
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Abramson LY Metalsky GI Alloy LB 1989 Hoplessness depression: a theory-based sub-type of depression Psychological Review 96 2 358 372
- First MB Spitzer RL Gibbon M Williams JBW 2005 Structred Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders - Patient Edition (With Psychotic Screen): Biometrics Research Department
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 701–732 of 732
Forbes, P., Brandt, E. S. L., Aichholzer, M., Uckermark, C., Bouzouina, A., Jacobsen, L., Repple, J., Kingslake, J., Reif-Leonhard, C., Reif, A., et al. (2026) · medRxiv · doi:10.64898/2026.04.16.26351003
Dong, Z., Wu, D., Zhang, X., Wang, H., & Luo, H. (2026) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-026-04442-4 · Cited by 1
Wang, X., Wang, P., Niu, M., Yangyang, C., Almulla, A. F., Chen, C., Li, J., Zhang, Y., & Maes, M. H. J. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.121840
Beyond passivity: Depressive symptoms predict persistent active avoidance under ambiguity
Tomm, R. J., Kalenteridis, L., Lee, A. C., Thorpe, A., White, E. J., Clark, L., Floresco, S., Chakrabarty, T., & Todd, R. M. (2026) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2026.105047
From Neural Circuits to Behavior: Examining the Central Role of Anhedonia in Major Depression
Ghanayem, L. K., Kumar, P., & Rizvi, S. J. (2026) · Advances in experimental medicine and biology · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-6872-7_8
Non‐Suicidal Self‐Injury as a Low‐Effort Strategy for Avoiding Negative Affect
Roske, C., Musicaro, R. M., & Franz, P. J. (2026) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.70149
Almeida-Corrêa, S., Wesemann, F.-S., Diez, S., Maynard, M. J., Garcia, L. Y., Voehringer, P., Ferger, B., Becker, M., Wotjak, C. T., & du Hoffmann, J. (2026) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/s41386-026-02453-8
Zhou, C., Wu, M., Xiang, Y., & Itti, L. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.06.08.728970
Papadopetraki, D., Cools, R., Taylor, K. I., Popp, W., Siderowf, A. D., Weintraub, D. A., & Kurniawan, I. T. (2025) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/81913
Depression as a disorder of abductive agency: an active inference account
Sun, J., & Jin, L. (2026) · Synthese · doi:10.1007/s11229-026-05669-9
Forbes, P., Brandt, E. S. L., Aichholzer, M., Uckermark, C., Bouzouina, A., Jacobsen, L., Repple, J., Kingslake, J., Reif-Leonhard, C., Reif, A., et al. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.122193
EEG biomarkers of reinforcement learning and motivation: A multi-task batteryPreprint
Qiu, Z., Wang, M., Lu, H., Abir, Y., Zharmakhan, R., Singh, N., Poppe, M., Degni, L., & Huys, Q. J. M. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.735051
Parekh, P. K., Rocks, D., Kenwood, M. M., Roshgadol, J., Munguba, H., & Liston, C. M. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.07.11.737837
Swanson, B., Shields, G. S., & Judah, M. R. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.122274
Dolan, S. C., Carrasco, E. E., Kwan, M. Y., Barkley‐Levenson, E. E., Singh, S., & Reilly, E. E. (2026) · European Eating Disorders Review · doi:10.1002/erv.70160
Hackman, N., Neukam, P. T., Beltran, J., Li, M., Chowdhury, A., Treadway, M. T., Murrough, J. W., & Morris, L. S. (2026) · Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2026.07.013
Penninx, B. W. J. H., Kas, M. J., Dawson, G. R., Correll, C. U., Harmer, C. J., Buhl, D. L., Prisco, M. D., Downs, J. L., Hernaus, D., Hopkins, S. C., et al. (2026) · BMJ Mental Health · doi:10.1136/bmjment-2026-302843
Goodman, S. H., Garber, J., Cheong, Y. F., & Cullum, K. A. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10630064/v1
Schumacher, J. D., Iancu, V., Mahrez, A. M., & Floresco, S. (2026) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-026-07150-4
A perspective on effort and its potential role in motor learning
Marbaker, R. M., Thom, C. J., & Ahmed, A. A. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-45068-6.00024-x
Motivation to exert effort dynamically adapts to reward context and environmental controllability
Li, B., Vriens, T., Liu, Y., Guo, M., Roelofs, K., & Vassena, E. (2026) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-026-01484-4
Kamaci, A. N., Chen, Y., Cahart, M., & O’Daly, O. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.09.01.747608
Grimaldi, R., Uzun, E., Schettino, M., Pizzagalli, D. A., Treadway, M. T., & Ottaviani, C. (2026) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2026.09.004
Totoro, A., Kateri Mcrae, A., & Waugh, C. E. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10766596/v1
Are online poker players motivated to expend effort for monetary rewards?
Giustiniani, J., Nicolier, M., Maylié, F., Pazart, L., Haffen, É., & Gabriel, D. (2026) · L Encéphale · doi:10.1016/j.encep.2026.06.010
Miguel, N. S., Matas-Navarro, P., Carratalá‐Ros, C., Porru, S., Salamone, J. D., Font, L., & Correa, M. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.7511749
Executive functions as a transdiagnostic endophenotype in developmental psychopathology
Braithwaite, E., Fielder, J. C., & Steinbeis, N. (2026) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-026-03916-6
Beyond Pain Intensity: A Patient-Informed Framework for Documenting Burden in Small Fiber Neuropathy
Hochman, G. (2026) · Neurology and Therapy · doi:10.1007/s40120-026-01063-2
Harlev, D., & Wolpe, N. (2026) · medRxiv · doi:10.64898/2026.10.13.26365398
Neuroscience-informed psychoeducation for eating disorders
Chapman, O., Venables, K. G., Smith, A., Makara, A., Danaher, K., Daniels, S., Farooq, F., & Haynos, A. F. (2026) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2026.09.014
Zhao, Y., Zeng, N., & Luo, Y. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108036
Effort-based decision-making: A value-guided dissection and arousal-focused synthesis
Clairis, N., & Tobler, P. N. (2026) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2026.107062
Metadata
- Authors
- Treadway, M. T., Bossaller, N. A., Shelton, R. C., & Zald, D. H.
- Affiliations
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology
- Published
- 2012-08
- Volume
- 121
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 553-558
- ISSN
- 0021-843X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1846
- PMC
- PMC3730492
- OpenAlex
- W2123089523
- Cited by
- 733
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 59 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 78 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 51 · 2015: 54 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 15
- FWCI
- 16.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- Journal of Abnormal Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R21 MH092751; F31MH087015)
- 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 (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
- Keywords
- major depressive disorder, anhedonia, effort-based decision making, reward motivation, reward anticipation, effort expenditure, depressive episode duration, translational model
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Decision Making, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Reward, Anhedonia
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
