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Mapping anticipatory anhedonia: an fMRI study

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A Correction to this article was published on 06 June 2019

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Abstract

Anhedonia—broadly defined as loss of interest and/or an inability to experience pleasure—is an important feature of several psychiatric disorders. Research into the clinical presentation and neurobiology of this symptom has identified components related to motivation, learning, anticipation, and experience of pleasure as important constructs that inform therapeutic interventions. The experimental study of anhedonia is largely based on incentive processing paradigms, most often with monetary rewards, though studies have also used pleasantness ratings of various stimuli. However, linking an individual’s own system of reinforcers and ability to enjoy them with anhedonia and neural activity remains comparatively under-explored. A previous study of participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls found that activity word ratings correlated with measures of anhedonia, depression, and motivation. The present study collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) images in healthy controls while they rated activity words and pictures showing activities in order to identify networks differentially responsive to subjective decisions about the appetitive value of activities. The study sought to measure individually-relevant hedonic capacity as demonstrated by correlations between task measures and anticipatory anhedonia ratings. Ratings of potential pleasure were associated with neural activity in areas previously identified as relevant to pleasure and reward processing, such as anterior and posterior cingulate, middle frontal areas, and dorsal and ventral striatum. Although the study included only healthy controls, the results demonstrate a link between anhedonia measures, behavior, and brain responses and also test a paradigm that could be used to study anhedonia in clinical populations.

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  • 06 June 2019

    The image of the Figure 2b in Figure 2 in the published article was incorrect and the authors would like to correct them. The original article has been corrected.

  • 06 June 2019

    The image of the Figure 2b in Figure 2 in the published article was incorrect and the authors would like to correct them. The original article has been corrected.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the 7SE research unit and staff for their support. The authors also gratefully acknowledge Megan Airey, BA for assistance with the literature search and manuscript preparation; Ellen Condon, RT for technical assistance with the scans; and Ioline Henter, MA for invaluable editorial assistance.

Funding

Funding for this work was supported by the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health (IRP-NIMH-NIH; ZIA MH002927), by a NARSAD Independent Investigator Award to Dr. Zarate, and by a Brain and Behavior Mood Disorders Research Award to Dr. Zarate.

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Correspondence to Joanna E. Szczepanik.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Zarate is listed as a co-inventor on a patent for the use of ketamine in major depression and suicidal ideation; as a co-inventor on a patent for the use of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine, (S)-dehydronorketamine, and other stereoisomeric dehydro and hydroxylated metabolites of (R,S)-ketamine metabolites in the treatment of depression and neuropathic pain; and as a co-inventor on a patent application for the use of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine and (2S,6S)-hydroxynorketamine in the treatment of depression, anxiety, anhedonia, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress disorders. He has assigned his patent rights to the U.S. government but will share a percentage of any royalties that may be received by the government. All other authors have no conflict of interest to disclose, financial or otherwise.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the National Institutes of Health (USA) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health (NIMH-NIH), and all participants gave written informed consent for participation.

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The image of the Figure 2b in Figure 2 in the published article was incorrect and the authors would like to correct them.

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BOLD signal contrast between ratings of liked versus disliked activities evaluated as pictures. (PNG 893 kb)

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Bold signal contrast between ratings of liked versus disliked activities evaluated as words. (PNG 996 kb)

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Szczepanik, J.E., Reed, J.L., Nugent, A.C. et al. Mapping anticipatory anhedonia: an fMRI study. Brain Imaging and Behavior 13, 1624–1634 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-019-00084-w

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