SynthesisThe American journal of psychiatry2018
Reward Processing in Depression: A Conceptual and Meta-Analytic Review Across fMRI and EEG Studies.
2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph
Synthesis in The American journal of psychiatry, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 262 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
262citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Anhedonia, Development, and Emotions: Phenotyping and Therapeutics (ADEPT) Study
NCT07369115 phase4not yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation
Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. / "A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Single Site Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Lumateperone for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Early Life Trauma in Adult Patients Aged 21 to 70 Years
Who cites it
262 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Common and disorder-specific aberrant activation during reward and loss processing in major depressive disorder and addiction: a meta-analysis of fMRI studies.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Transdiagnostic Comparison of Anticipated Hedonic Deficits: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis Across Schizophrenia, Depression, and Their Subclinical Individuals.PsyCh journal · 2026Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of neural correlates of working memory, reward, and emotion processing in major depressive disorder using ALE.Psychological medicine · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of stress on reward responsiveness: a systematic review and preliminary meta-analysis of the event-related potential literature.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- The effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) on the Positive Valence Systems: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)-Informed Systematic Review.CNS drugs · 2023Pooled it
- Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and alterations in positive valence systems: A systematic review of the literature.Journal of psychiatric research · 2022Pooled it
- Neural substrates of motivational dysfunction across neuropsychiatric conditions: Evidence from meta-analysis and lesion network mapping.Clinical psychology review · 2022Pooled it
- Positive Affect Treatment for Depression, Anxiety, and Low Positive Affect: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- The Use of Behavioral Reconsolidation Interference in Depressive Disorders. A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Experimental Registered Report.Psychophysiology · 2026Trial
- Efficacy ofWorld journal of psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Amplification of Positivity Treatment for Anxiety and Depression: A Randomized Experimental Therapeutics Trial Targeting Social Reward Sensitivity to Enhance Social Connectedness.Biological psychiatry · 2024Trial
- Reduced anhedonia following internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression is mediated by enhanced reward circuit activation.Psychological medicine · 2023Trial
- Low doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) increase reward-related brain activity.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023Trial
- The thrill of victory: Savoring positive affect, psychophysiological reward processing, and symptoms of depression.Emotion (Washington, D.C.) · 2022Trial
- Multilevel growth curve analyses of behavioral activation for anhedonia (BATA) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy effects on anhedonia and resting-state functional connectivity: Interim results of a randomized trialJournal of affective disorders · 2021Trial
- Linking childhood adversity with borderline and depressive symptoms: the role of reward processing.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Article
- The influence of effort expenditure on the neurophysiological substrates of reward processing in early adolescence.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2026Article
- Major Depressive Disorder and Serum Inflammatory Biomarkers as Predictors of Reward-Processing Dysfunction in an American Indian Sample.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2026Article
- Temporal Dynamics of Reward Dysfunction in Psychiatric Disorders: Memory-Derived Value, Incentive Salience, Hedonic Impact, and Value Updating.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Review
- Brain rhythms of depression: A predictive processing perspective.Trends in neurosciences · 2026Review
202 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Hanna KerenFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Georgia O'CallaghanFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Pablo Vidal-RibasFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
George A BuzzellFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Melissa A BrotmanFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Ellen LeibenluftFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Pedro M PanFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Liana MeffertFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Ariela KaiserFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Selina WolkeFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Daniel S PineFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Argyris StringarisFrom the Mood, Brain, and Development Unit, the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience, and the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, Emotion and Development Branch, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park; the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Neurociências Clínicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London.
Funding
fMRI Studies Of Pediatric Mood And Anxiety DisordersZIAMH002781 · NIMH · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH · PI PINE, DANIEL · 2009 to 2025
$41.5MFmri Studies Of Risk For Mood And Anxiety Disorders In ChildrenZIAMH002782 · NIMH · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH · PI PINE, DANIEL · 2009 to 2025
$28.3MMood, Brain, and Development UnitZIAMH002957 · NIMH · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH · PI STRINGARIS, ARGYRIOS · 2017 to 2022
$14.8MUnit on Neuroscience and Novel TherapeuticsZIAMH002969 · NIMH · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH · PI BROTMAN, MELISSA · 2019 to 2025
$13.8MIntramural NIH HHS Z99 MH999999Intramural NIH HHS ZIA MH002957NIMH NIH HHS ZIA MH002957-01
Abstract
objectiveA role for aberrant reward processing in the pathogenesis of depression has long been proposed. However, no review has yet examined its role in depression by integrating conceptual and quantitative findings across functional MRI (fMRI) and EEG methodologies. The authors quantified these effects, with an emphasis on development.
methodA total of 38 fMRI and 12 EEG studies were entered into fMRI and EEG meta-analyses. fMRI studies primarily examined reward anticipation and reward feedback. These were analyzed using the activation likelihood estimation method. EEG studies involved mainly the feedback-related negativity (FRN) event-related potential, and these studies were analyzed using random-effects meta-analysis of the association between FRN and depression.
resultsAnalysis of fMRI studies revealed significantly reduced striatal activation in depressed compared with healthy individuals during reward feedback. When region-of-interest analyses were included, reduced activation was also observed in reward anticipation, an effect that was stronger in individuals under age 18. FRN was also significantly reduced in depression, with pronounced effects in individuals under age 18. In longitudinal studies, reduced striatal activation in fMRI and blunted FRN in EEG were found to precede the onset of depression in adolescents.
conclusionsTaken together, the findings show consistent neural aberrations during reward processing in depression, namely, reduced striatal signal during feedback and blunted FRN. These aberrations may underlie the pathogenesis of depression and have important implications for development of new treatments.
Indexed as
ElectroencephalographyMagnetic Resonance ImagingRewardDepressionFeedback, PsychologicalHumansDepressionEEGfMRIMeta-analysisReward
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390
Registered trials
NCT05487885ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT07369115ClinicalTrials.gov
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.