Weak reward source memory in depression reflects blunted activation of VTA/SN and parahippocampus.

ABSTRACT: Reward responses in the medial temporal lobes and dopaminergic midbrain boost episodic memory formation in healthy adults, and weak memory for emotionally positive material in depression suggests this mechanism may be dysfunctional in major depressive disorder (MDD). To test this hypothesis, we performed a study in which unmedicated adults with MDD and healthy controls encoded drawings paired with reward or zero tokens during functional magnetic resonance imaging. In a recognition test, participants judged whether drawings were previously associated with the reward token ('reward source') or the zero token ('zero source'). Unlike controls, depressed participants failed to show better memory for drawings from the reward source vs the zero source. Consistent with predictions, controls also s

SUBMITTER: Dillon DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4187280 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature