biostudies-literatureKakarala SENCATS NIH HHSNational Institute of Nursing ResearchNIA NIH HHSNIMH NIH HHSNINR NIH HHSNIMHD NIH HHSNational Cancer InstituteNCI NIH HHSNational Institute of Mental HealthNational Center for Advancing Translation SciencesNational Institute of Minority Health DisparitiesNational Institute on Aging111135https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7442719biostudies-literatureUnknown303Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a debilitating condition affecting between 7% and 10% of bereaved individuals. Past imaging and psychological studies have proposed links between PGD's characteristic symptoms - in particular, profound yearning - and the neural reward system. We conducted a systematic review to investigate this connection. On December 19, 2019, we searched six bibliographic databases for data on the neurobiology of grief and disordered grief. We excluded studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, animal studies, and reviews. After abstract and full-text screening, twenty-four studies were included in the final review. We found diverse evidence for the activation of several reward-related regions of the brain in PGD. The data reviewed suggest that compared to normative grief, PGD involves a differential pattern of activity in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC); likely differential activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), rostral or subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and basal ganglia overall, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc); and possible differential activity in the insula. It also appears that oxytocin signaling is altered in PGD, though the exact mechanism is unclear. Our findings appear to be consistent with, though not confirmative of, conceptualizing PGD as a disorder of reward, and identify directions for future research.Psychiatry research. NeuroimagingThe neurobiological reward system in Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD): A systematic review.PMC7442719AG049666UL1 TR002384R01 CA106370P30 CA008748T32 CA009461CA106370NR018693R21 MH121886R01 MD007652P30 AG022845R21 NR018693T32 AG049666R01 MH063892P30CA008748R35 CA197730CA218313R21 CA218313MD007652MH095378R21 MH095378CA197730CA009461Coats TRoberts KEMaciejewski PKFalzarano FAvery JRogers MChilov MPrigerson HGKakarala SELichtenthal WGGang JfalseThe neurobiological reward system in Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD): A systematic review.Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a debilitating condition affecting between 7% and 10% of bereaved individuals. Past imaging and psychological studies have proposed links between PGD's characteristic symptoms - in particular, profound yearning - and the neural reward system. We conducted a systematic review to investigate this connection. On December 19, 2019, we searched six bibliographic databases for data on the neurobiology of grief and disordered grief. We excluded studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, animal studies, and reviews. After abstract and full-text screening, twenty-four studies were included in the final review. We found diverse evidence for the activation of several reward-related regions of the brain in PGD. The data reviewed suggest that compared to normative grief, PGD involves a differential pattern of activity in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC); likely differential activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), rostral or subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and basal ganglia overall, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc); and possible differential activity in the insula. It also appears that oxytocin signaling is altered in PGD, though the exact mechanism is unclear. Our findings appear to be consistent with, though not confirmative of, conceptualizing PGD as a disorder of reward, and identify directions for future research.2020-01-01T00:00:00Z2020 Sep2024-10-15T02:04:43.914Z2022-02-11T11:36:22.429ZS-EPMC74427193262919710.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111135