Presentation and Neurobiology of Anhedonia in Mood Disorders: Commonalities and Distinctions

Overview

Journal Curr Psychiatry Rep

Publisher Current Science

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2018 Mar 10

PMID 29520717

Citations 13

Authors

Sakina J Rizvi

Clare Lambert

Sidney Kennedy

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose Of Review: To focus on the clinical and behavioral presentation of anhedonia in mood disorders, as well as the differences and commonalities in the underlying neurocircuitry.

Recent Findings: Evidence suggests that depression is characterized by hypofunction of the reward system, while bipolar disorder manifests dysregulation of the behavioral activation system that increases goal-directed reward behavior. Importantly, strong evidence does not exist to suggest significant differences in anhedonia severity between depressed unipolar and bipolar patients, suggesting that there are more nuanced fluctuations in reward processing deficits in bipolar patients depending on their state. Both euthymic unipolar and bipolar patients frequently report residual reward dysfunction, which highlights the potential of reward processing deficits that give rise to the clinical symptom of anhedonia to be trait factors of mood disorders; however, the possibility that therapies are not adequately treating anhedonia could also explain the presence of residual symptoms. Reward processing represents a potential diagnostic and treatment marker for mood disorders. Further research should systematically explore the facets of reward processing in at-risk, affected, and remitted patients.

Citing Articles

Effect of Cariprazine on Anhedonia in Patients with Bipolar I Depression: Post Hoc Analysis of Three Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials.

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An Dissection, and Analysis of Socio-Affective Symptoms related to Cerebellum-Midbrain Reward Circuitry in Humans.

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Expression of ANK3 moderates the association between childhood trauma and affective traits in severe mental disorders.

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Abnormal functional connectivity of the nucleus accumbens subregions mediates the association between anhedonia and major depressive disorder.

Hu Y, Zhao C, Zhao H, Qiao J BMC Psychiatry. 2023; 23(1):282.

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