Self-processing in relation to emotion and reward processing in depression

Abstract

Background Depression is characterised by a heightened self-focus, which is believed to be associated with differences in emotion and reward processing. However, the precise relationship between these cognitive domains is not well understood. We examined the role of self-reference in emotion and reward processing, separately and in combination, in relation to depression. Methods Adults experiencing varying levels of depression (n = 144) completed self-report depression measures (PHQ-9, BDI-II). We measured self, emotion and reward processing, separately and in combination, using three cognitive tasks. Results When self-processing was measured independently of emotion and reward, in a simple associative learning task, there was little association with depression. However, when self and emotion processing occurred in combination in a self-esteem go/no-go task, depression was associated with an increased positive other bias [b = 3.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24–5.79]. When the self was processed in relation to emotion and reward, in a social evaluation learning task, depression was associated with reduced positive self-biases (b = 0.11, 95% CI 0.05–0.17). Conclusions Depression was associated with enhanced positive implicit associations with others, and reduced positive learning about the self, culminating in reduced self-favouring biases. However, when self, emotion and reward processing occurred independently there was little evidence of an association with depression. Treatments targeting reduced positive self-biases may provide more sensitive targets for therapeutic intervention and potential biomarkers of treatment responses, allowing the development of more effective interventions.

Is depression associated with reduced optimistic belief updating?

“…To reduce participant burden during online data collection, we did not conduct diagnostic interviews. However, based on previous research within this group [28], we expect 93% of individuals with PHQ-9 scores greater than or equal to 15 to meet diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode. In combination with targeted recruitment of patients reporting a current mental health condition on Prolific, we anticipated that our sample would have similar clinical profiles to those in previous research within this field [11,12].…”

The relationship between change in social evaluation learning and mood in early antidepressant treatment: a prospective cohort study in primary care

“…To allow for remote data collection and to reduce potential fatigue effects, only the measures outlined above were completed by participants following the pandemic. We chose to focus on the social evaluation learning task as we have previously found a reliable relationship between task outcomes and depression symptoms (Hobbs et al, 2019(Hobbs et al, , 2021, as well as evidence of modulation by antidepressant administration (Hobbs, Murphy, et al, 2020). Due to low statistical power associated with a reduced sample size, aside from the CIS-R which has been included for descriptive purposes, this data has not been analysed and is not reported within this paper.…”

“…Additionally, we employed a novel task that was able to integrate self, emotion, and reward processing. We have previously validated the use of this task in individuals experiencing varying levels of depression (Hobbs et al, 2019(Hobbs et al, , 2021 and anxiety (Button et al, 2012(Button et al, , 2015Hopkins et al, 2021).…”

“…Within social interactions, healthy individuals demonstrate better learning of positive evaluations (Button et al, 2015) and update perceptions of the self to a greater degree in response to positive feedback (Korn et al, 2012). Conversely, individuals experiencing depression expect that others will perceive them negatively (Moritz and Roberts, 2018), preferentially engage with unfavourable social evaluations (Giesler et al, 1996), respond more negatively to social situations (Setterfield et al, 2016), and show poorer learning of positive evaluations about the self (Hobbs et al, 2021). Repeated exposure to negative social feedback about the self is likely to reinforce existing negative self-schema, perpetuating depressive symptoms.…”

The Neural Correlates of the Abnormal Implicit Self-Esteem in Major Depressive Disorder: An Event-Related Potential Study

“…Interpretation of abnormal ISE was varied in previous studies. Some stated that lower ISE in MDD would be the marker of how deeply negative self-views are internalized ( 7 ), but some hold that increased positive implicit associations with others would have also played an important role in MDD ( 12 ). Taken together, further studies on characteristics of ISE in patients with MDD are warranted.…”