Reward processing and future life stress: Stress generation pathway to depression.

Abstract

Blunted reward sensitivity and life stress are each depressogenic. Additionally, individuals with clinical and psychosocial vulnerabilities are prone to experience or evoke dependent life stressors (e.g., interpersonal conflict) that, in turn, increase depression risk. However, no previous study has investigated the role of neural vulnerability factors in generating life stress. Therefore, the current study investigated whether a neural measure of reward sensitivity prospectively predicts the generation of life stress, which in turn mediates effects of these neural processes on subsequent depression. Participants were 467 never-depressed adolescent girls. Using event-related potentials, neural sensitivity to the difference between monetary reward and loss (the Reward Positivity [RewP]) was assessed at baseline. Negative life events were assessed twice via interview over the ensuing 18 months, yielding an index of total life stress over the follow-up period. A self-report dimensional measure of depression symptoms was administered at baseline and follow-up. After accounting for baseline age, depression, and race, a blunted RewP predicted greater dependent, but not independent, life stress over the follow-up. Mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of the RewP on follow-up depression through dependent, but not independent, life stress. Our results suggest that neural processing reward and loss plays a crucial role in depressogenic stress generation.

Neural responses to social acceptance predict behavioral adjustments following peer feedback in the context of a real‐time social interaction task

“…This tendency might thereby increase the likelihood of experiencing social success (Auerbach et al., 2014; Birchler et al., 1975; Davila et al., 1997). And in fact, there is emerging evidence that a larger RewP to monetary rewards is not only associated with less past‐year interpersonal stress (Ethridge et al., 2018), but also prospectively predicts decreased occurrence of dependent interpersonal stress—that is, interpersonal conflict to which the individual contributes (Mackin et al., 2019).…”

Great Expectations: A Critical Review of and Suggestions for the Study of Reward Processing as a Cause and Predictor of Depression

“…Animal and human studies have demonstrated that stress can reduce striatal reward responses (88)(89)(90)(91)(92)(93). The relationship may be more complicated in that a genetic predisposition to RPAs may represent a vulnerability to depression when exposed to a stressful environment (23,30,94). An immediate research need is a twin study to test the genetic and environmental origins of the covariation between depression and reward processing.…”

Emotion context insensitivity in depression: Toward an integrated and contextualized approach

“…For example, Foti et al (2011) found that high familial risk adolescents were more sensitive to a negative mood induction, which predicted greater reductions in neural sensitivity to monetary gains versus losses (RewP). Potential bidirectional relationships have also been proposed, whereby reward dysfunction can lead to poorer stress regulation (Auerbach et al, 2014), and a blunted neural response to reward (RewP) also predicts greater generation of stressful life events (Mackin et al, 2019). However, the majority of prior research on stress and reward interactions has focused on the impact of early life or recent stressors on reward functioning and has not assessed physiological responses to stressors, which is critical for understanding how dysregulated stress responding may contribute to reward dysfunction.…”