Pre‐ejection period reactivity to reward is associated with anhedonic symptoms of depression among adolescents

Abstract

Pre-ejection period (PEP) reactivity to reward has been posited as a specific index of behavioral approach and incentive motivation, suggesting it might be uniquely associated with the affective and motivational deficits of anhedonia. This study evaluated PEP reactivity to a reward task as a predictor of depressive symptoms among adolescents, examining global depressive symptoms as well as specific anhedonic and nonanhedonic symptoms clusters. Participants included 76 adolescents, ages 11–15 years (52% female). This study found marginal support for an association between PEP reactivity to reward and concurrent anhedonia symptoms, but no association with nonanhedonic or the global scale. Findings are discussed in terms of potential associations between peripheral psychophysiological measures and dopaminergic functioning and also the utility of this measure for future research on anhedonia.

Threat-related motivational disengagement: Integrating blunted cardiovascular reactivity to stress into the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat

“…Hence, a reduction or absence of heart rate and ventricular contractility increases might indicate a subconscious reduction or absence of psychological task engagement or motivation to engage in the motivated performance situation, despite unchanged conscious self-reports of motivation. This explanation is also consistent with the association between blunted CVR and depression, as depression features anhedonia, a core symptom characterized by reduced sensitivity to and reduced anticipatory motivation to pursue rewards (Ahles et al, 2017;Franzen & Brinkmann, 2016;Treadway & Zald, 2013).…”

Appetitive motivation in depressive anhedonia: Effects of piece-rate cash rewards on cardiac and behavioral outcomes.

“…When difficulty is uncertain, people’s effort level reflects the importance of the incentive—people’s effort is proportional to how much they value the goal. Many studies have used uncertain-difficulty paradigms to study how depressive symptoms affect effort (e.g., Ahles, Mezulis, & Crowell, 2017; Brinkmann & Franzen, 2013, 2017; Franzen & Brinkmann, 2016a, 2016b), including one study with a clinical sample (Franzen, Brinkmann, Gendolla, & Sentissi, 2018). When the performance standard is unclear, dysphoric and depressed participants expend less effort, suggesting that the incentives are less valuable.…”

Emotion dysregulation and reward responsiveness as predictors of autonomic reactivity to an infant cry task among substance‐using pregnant and postpartum women

“…Reward responsivity refers to the degree to which an individual experiences positive response to reward and has been conceptualized as a distinct trait-like tendency to experience reward that is part of the larger behavioral approach system (Carver & White, 1994). For example, empirical evidence has shown associations between PEP reactivity to a myriad of reward-related processes, including behavioral approach toward incentives (Ahles et al, 2017;Beauchaine et al, 2001;Brenner et al, 2005), and self-reported trait reward responsiveness (Franzen et al, 2019). It is posited that these associations may be driven at least in part given PEP as a peripheral marker of mesolimbic dopamine reactivity to reward processing and reinforcement (Beauchaine & Gatzke-Kopp, 2012;Berridge, 2007;Forbes & Dahl, 2012).…”