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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current psychiatry reports 2018-02, Vol.20 (2), p.13-13, Article 13
Main Authors: Rizvi, Sakina J., Lambert, Clare, Kennedy, Sidney
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anhedonia
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar Disorder - diagnostic imaging
Bipolar Disorder - physiopathology
Bipolar Disorder - psychology
Brain - diagnostic imaging
Brain - physiopathology
Depressive Disorder, Major - diagnostic imaging
Depressive Disorder, Major - physiopathology
Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology
Emotional disorders
Functional Neuroimaging
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mood disorders
Mood Disorders (E Baca-Garcia
Mood Disorders - diagnostic imaging
Mood Disorders - physiopathology
Mood Disorders - psychology
Neurosciences
Psychiatry
Reward
Section Editor
Topical Collection on Mood Disorders
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Summary: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. Summary 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.
ISSN:1523-3812
1535-1645
DOI:10.1007/s11920-018-0877-z