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Published on: March 15, 2024
Increased neural response to peer rejection associated with adolescent depression and pubertal development
Jennifer S Silk1, Greg J Siegle2, Kyung Hwa Lee3
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20895, USA, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI 02903, USA, and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20895, USA, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI 02903, USA, and School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA silkj@upmc.edu.
Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) show heightened brain responses to peer rejection. This heightened sensitivity to social evaluation is linked to pubertal development but is especially pronounced in youth experiencing depression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Sensitivity to social evaluation is a potential risk factor for depression.
- This sensitivity may increase with pubertal maturation.
- Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) may exhibit altered brain responses to social feedback.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if adolescents with MDD show altered reactivity to peer rejection and acceptance.
- To investigate the role of pubertal maturation in social-evaluative sensitivity.
- To examine brain activity in regions involved in processing social information.
Main Methods:
- Functional neuroimaging (fMRI) was used to study brain activity.
- 48 adolescents (ages 11-17), including 21 with MDD and 27 controls, participated.
- Participants received simulated peer feedback (acceptance/rejection) during an online interaction.
Main Results:
- Adolescents with MDD showed increased amygdala, subgenual anterior cingulate, anterior insula, and nucleus accumbens activation to rejection.
- No significant differences in response to acceptance were found between groups.
- Increased reactivity to rejection correlated with pubertal advancement, independent of chronological age.
Conclusions:
- Heightened reactivity to peer rejection is a normative developmental process during puberty.
- This heightened reactivity is particularly enhanced in adolescents with major depressive disorder.
- Altered responses to social evaluation may be a key neural mechanism in adolescent depression.
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