Events
Missing the Fun: Disruptions in Neural Reward Circuitry in Adolescent Depression
Presented by Erika E. Forbes, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science – University of Pittsburgh
Depression involves not only increased negative affect but also reduced and poorly regulated positive affect. Only recently have studies addressed altered positive affect in depression and its mechanisms in the brain’s frontostriatal reward circuitry. Adolescence is an optimal time to investigate the development and course of depression, as it is a time of vulnerability in which depression is emerging and neural, behavioral and phenomenological aspects of reward function are undergoing change.
Event Description
This lecture will present findings from neuroimaging studies of monetary and social reward that indicate that function in reward circuitry distinguishes adolescents with depression from healthy adolescents, predicts treatment response, has relevance to treatment development, and explains the association of depression with factors such as socioeconomic status, peer victimization and sleep disturbance.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Incorporate knowledge of disrupted positive affect and reward function into conceptualization and treatment of depression in adolescents.
- Formulate hypotheses about the contributions of altered reward function to the development and course of depression.
- Identify the neural reward circuitry that underlies positive affect and is disrupted in depression.
About the Visiting Professor Lecture Series:
The Child Mind Institute Visiting Professor Lecture Series invites leaders in the field of child and adolescent mental health to talk about the latest research and treatment protocols. All events are open to the public. This year, all lectures will be hosted virtually over GoToWebinar. Continuing medical education (CME) credits for psychiatrists and continuing education (CE) credits for psychologists are through our partnership with Northwell Health.