Research Review: altered reward function in adolescent depression: what, when and how?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Neural response to reward is altered in depression.
• Adolescent depression typically begins in adolescence and has high recurrence rates.
• A developmental approach can clarify the etiology and pathophysiology of depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize current knowledge on altered reward function in adolescent depression.
• To generate testable hypotheses within a developmental affective neuroscience framework.
• To suggest future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual review of peer-reviewed empirical papers.
• Searched PubMed, PsycInfo, and ScienceDirect databases.
• Included papers published between 1990 and 2010.

Main Results:

• Adolescents and adults with depression exhibit low striatal and high medial prefrontal response to reward.
• Reward function may be particularly disrupted by social stimuli in depression.
• Altered reward function in depression may be more pronounced during adolescence due to neurodevelopmental changes.

Conclusions:

• Future studies should investigate responses to social rewards and use longitudinal designs.
• Examining functional connectivity in reward circuits is crucial.
• Understanding altered reward function has implications for depression treatment, particularly for anhedonia and comorbid anxiety.