Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Issues
    • Issue in progress
    • Issues by date
  • Sections
    • Editorial
    • Review
    • Research
    • Commentary
    • Psychopharmacology for the Clinician
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Topic Collections
  • Instructions for Authors
    • Overview for authors
    • Submission checklist
    • Editorial policies
    • Publication fees
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Dr. Francis Wayne Quan Memorial Prize
    • Open access
  • Alerts
    • Email alerts
    • RSS
  • About
    • General information
    • Staff
    • Editorial Board
    • Contact
  • CMAJ JOURNALS
    • CMAJ
    • CMAJ Open
    • CJS
    • JAMC

User menu

Search

  • Advanced search
JPN
  • CMAJ JOURNALS
    • CMAJ
    • CMAJ Open
    • CJS
    • JAMC
JPN

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Issues
    • Issue in progress
    • Issues by date
  • Sections
    • Editorial
    • Review
    • Research
    • Commentary
    • Psychopharmacology for the Clinician
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Topic Collections
  • Instructions for Authors
    • Overview for authors
    • Submission checklist
    • Editorial policies
    • Publication fees
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Dr. Francis Wayne Quan Memorial Prize
    • Open access
  • Alerts
    • Email alerts
    • RSS
  • About
    • General information
    • Staff
    • Editorial Board
    • Contact
  • Subscribe to our alerts
  • RSS feeds
  • Follow JPN on Twitter
Research Paper
Open Access

Understanding the neurobiological basis of anhedonia in major depressive disorder — evidence for reduced neural activation during reward and loss processing

Lavinia A. Steinmann, Katharina Dohm, Janik Goltermann, Maike Richter, Verena Enneking, Marcia Lippitz, Jonathan Repple, Marco Mauritz, Udo Dannlowski and Nils Opel
J Psychiatry Neurosci August 10, 2022 47 (4) E284-E292; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/jpn.210180
Lavinia A. Steinmann
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Katharina Dohm
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Janik Goltermann
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Maike Richter
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Verena Enneking
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Marcia Lippitz
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jonathan Repple
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Marco Mauritz
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Udo Dannlowski
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Nils Opel
From the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany (Steinmann, Dohm, Goltermann, Richter, Enneking, Lippitz, Repple, Mauritz, Dannlowski, Opel); the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Frankfurt/Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Repple); and the Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany (Opel).
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Tables
  • Related Content
  • Responses
  • Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Article Figures & Tables

Figures

  • Tables
  • Figure 1
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 1

    Results from multiple regression analysis of the effect of anhedonia on BOLD response during a loss condition, displaying clusters in the bilateral insula and orbitofrontal cortex. Axial (z = 68) and sagittal (x = 12) views of the region of interest. Colour bar depicts TFCE scores (pFWE = 0.05 after TFCE). BOLD = blood-oxygen-level-dependent; FWE = family-wise error; TFCE = threshold-free cluster enhancement.

  • Figure 2
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 2

    Scatterplot depicting peak BOLD response in the right OFC, from multiple regression analysis with anhedonia scores as covariates. Pearson correlation: r = −0.176, p = 0.016. BOLD = blood-oxygen-level-dependent; OFC = orbitofrontal cortex; SASPAS = Social and Physical Anhedonia Scale.

  • Figure 3
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 3

    Scatterplot depicting peak BOLD response in the right insula, from multiple regression analysis with anhedonia scores as covariates. Pearson correlation: r = −0.227, p = 0.002. BOLD = blood-oxygen-level-dependent; SASPAS = Social and Physical Anhedonia Scale.

Tables

  • Figures
    • View popup
    Table 1

    Participant sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (n = 182)

    CharacteristicValue*Z score
    Age, yr37.62 ± 11.73 (18–63)–
    Female/male92/90–
    Psychiatric history
     No. of depressive episodes4.43 ± 5.28 (1–40)–
     No. of lifetime months in a depressive state28.29 ± 30.3 (1–156)–
     No. of hospital treatments2 ± 1 (1–9)–
    Questionnaire scores
     Beck Depression Inventory28.09 ± 8.72 (10–53)–
     Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression23.00 ± 4.82 (12–42)–
     Social and Physical Anhedonia Scale17.47 ± 7.81 (1–38)−2.11 to 2.63
    Medications†
     Medication load index2.62 ± 1.51 (0–8)−1.74 to 3.57
     SNRI92–
     SSRI46–
     NaSSA38–
     NDRI3–
     Tricyclic antidepressant10–
     Mood stabilizer12–
     First-generation antipsychotic9–
     Second-generation antipsychotic70–
     Other24–
     None11–
    Psychiatric comorbidities†
     Anxiety disorder74–
     Dysthymia9–
     Obsessive–compulsive disorder9–
     Posttraumatic stress disorder11–
     Eating disorder12–
     Alcohol or substance use disorder‡9–
     Somatoform disorder3–
     None93–
    • NaSSA = noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant; NDRI = norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors; SD = standard deviation; SNRI = serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors; SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

    • ↵* Values are n or mean ± SD (range).

    • ↵† Multiple entries possible per patient.

    • ↵‡ Excluding dependence.

    • View popup
    Table 2

    Main effect of anhedonia (Social and Physical Anhedonia Scale)*

    Cluster Region, hemisphereCluster size, kMNI coordinates at peak, x, y, zTFCEF1,357pFWE
    Cluster 12234−30, 22, −46147.3515.49< 0.001
     Insula, left
     Putamen, left
     Caudate nucleus, bilateral
     Pallidum, left
     Ventral striatum, bilateral
     Anterior, lateral and posterior orbitofrontal cortex, left
     Inferior fronto-orbital cortex, left
     Anterior cingulate cortex, left
    Cluster 2220232, 26, −67376.9214.38< 0.001
     Insula, right
     Putamen, right
     Pallidum, right
     Caudate nucleus, right
     Ventral striatum, right
     Anterior, medial and posterior orbitofrontal cortex, right
     Inferior fronto-orbital cortex, right
    Cluster 320666, 4, 384277.2412.07< 0.001
     Anterior and middle cingulate cortex, bilateral
     Posterior cingulate cortex, right
    Cluster 454−34, 50, −146108.1417.94< 0.001
     Anterior and lateral orbitofrontal cortex, left
     Inferior fronto-orbital cortex, left
    Cluster 54116, 22, 6381.075.380.027
     Caudate nucleus, right
    • FWE = family-wise error; MNI = Montreal Neurological Institute; TFCE = threshold-free cluster enhancement.

    • ↵* The region of interest comprised the orbitofrontal cortex, insula, cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, putamen and nucleus accumbens. Analyses were performed using TFCE with a voxel threshold of pFWE < 0.05 and a minimum cluster volume threshold of k > 30.

    • View popup
    Table 3

    Interaction analysis: condition (“reward” or “loss”) × anhedonia (Social and Physical Anhedonia Scale)*

    Cluster Region, hemisphereCluster size, kMNI coordinates at peak, x, y, zTFCEF1,357pFWE
    Cluster 1113132, 26, −638470.0024.75< 0.001
     Putamen, right
     Insula, right
     Superior, middle and inferior fronto-orbital cortex, right
    Cluster 2897−30, 22, −431536.9526.62< 0.001
     Pallidum, left
     Putamen, left
     Insula, left
     Triangular part of inferior frontal cortex, left
     Superior temporal pole, left
     Inferior fronto-orbital cortex, left
    Cluster 36696, 4, 3821788.7220.620.001
     Anterior and middle cingulate cortex, bilateral
     Supplementary motor area, left
     Superior medial frontal cortex, left
    Cluster 42654, −42, 268999.5115.360.011
     Middle and posterior cingulate cortex, bilateral
     Precuneus, right
    Cluster 514614, −8, 209379.1417.370.010
     Caudate nucleus, right
    Cluster 663−12, −38, 404133.9211.520.037
     Middle cingulate cortex, bilateral
    Cluster 732−34, 50, −1430624.3630.7< 0.001
     Middle and inferior fronto-orbital cortex, left
    • FWE = family-wise error; MNI = Montreal Neurological Institute; TFCE = threshold-free cluster enhancement.

    • ↵* The region of interest comprised the orbitofrontal cortex, insula, cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, putamen and nucleus accumbens. Analyses were performed using TFCE with a voxel threshold of pFWE < 0.05 and a minimum cluster volume threshold of k > 30.

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience: 47 (4)
J Psychiatry Neurosci
Vol. 47, Issue 4
10 Aug 2022
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author

Article tools

Respond to this article
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
To sign up for email alerts or to access your current email alerts, enter your email address below:
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on JPN.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Understanding the neurobiological basis of anhedonia in major depressive disorder — evidence for reduced neural activation during reward and loss processing
(Your Name) has sent you a message from JPN
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the JPN web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Understanding the neurobiological basis of anhedonia in major depressive disorder — evidence for reduced neural activation during reward and loss processing
Lavinia A. Steinmann, Katharina Dohm, Janik Goltermann, Maike Richter, Verena Enneking, Marcia Lippitz, Jonathan Repple, Marco Mauritz, Udo Dannlowski, Nils Opel
J Psychiatry Neurosci Aug 2022, 47 (4) E284-E292; DOI: 10.1503/jpn.210180

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
‍ Request Permissions
Share
Understanding the neurobiological basis of anhedonia in major depressive disorder — evidence for reduced neural activation during reward and loss processing
Lavinia A. Steinmann, Katharina Dohm, Janik Goltermann, Maike Richter, Verena Enneking, Marcia Lippitz, Jonathan Repple, Marco Mauritz, Udo Dannlowski, Nils Opel
J Psychiatry Neurosci Aug 2022, 47 (4) E284-E292; DOI: 10.1503/jpn.210180
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like

Related Articles

  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Similar Articles

Content

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Collections
  • Alerts
  • RSS

Authors & Reviewers

  • Overview for Authors
  • Submit a manuscript
  • Manuscript Submission Checklist

About

  • General Information
  • Staff
  • Editorial Board
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Reprints
  • Copyright and Permissions
  • Accessibility
  • CMA Civility Standards
CMAJ Group

Copyright 2023, CMA Impact Inc. or its licensors. All rights reserved. ISSN 1180-4882.

All editorial matter in JPN represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Canadian Medical Association or its subsidiaries.
To receive any of these resources in an accessible format, please contact us at CMAJ Group, 500-1410 Blair Towers Place, Ottawa ON, K1J 9B9; p: 1-888-855-2555; e: [email protected].
View CMA's Accessibility policy.

Powered by HighWire