Journal
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
Volume 60, Issue 10, Pages 1147-1154Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.037
Keywords
affect; anhedonia; depression; dopamine; reward; stress
Categories
Funding
- NIMH NIH HHS [R01 MH068376-01A1, R01 MH068376, R01 MH068376-02, R01 MH068376-03, R01 MH068376-04] Funding Source: Medline
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Background: Stress, one of the strongest risk factors for depression, has been linked to anbedonic behavior and dysfunctional reward-related neural circuitry in preclinical models. Methods: To test if acute stress reduces reward responsiveness (i.e., the ability to modulate behavior as a function of past reward), a signal-detection task coupled with a differential reinforcement schedule was utilized. Eighty female participants completed the task under both a stress condition, either threat-of-shock (h = 38) or negative performance feedback (h = 42), and a no-stress condition. Results: Stress increased negative affect and anxiety. As hypothesized based on preclinical findings, stress, particularly the threat-of-shock condition, impaired reward responsiveness. Regression analyses indicate that self-report measures of anbedonia predicted stress-induced hedonic deficits even after controlling for anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: These findings indicate that acute stress reduces reward responsiveness, particularly in individuals with anhedonic symptoms. Stress-induced hedonic deficit is a promising candidate mechanism linking stressful experiences to depression.
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