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New Insights into Adolescent Depression Risk Through Brain Response
Recent studies reveal that a diminished neural reaction to receiving rewards in teenagers can be an indicator of the initial onset of depression, differentiating it from anxiety and suicidal tendencies. This finding stands firm regardless of prior depressive or anxiety symptoms, age, or gender—factors that are already recognized as significant in predicting depression. The findings, reported in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging by Elsevier, mark progress towards leveraging neurological data for understanding and assessing mental health vulnerabilities.
The rise in mood and anxiety disorders among young people poses a significant challenge, often resulting in long-term repercussions. Few studies have successfully pinpointed early neural indicators that signal a teenager’s risk for developing these mental health issues. This is particularly critical considering that around 50% of youth who experience an initial episode of depression or anxiety are likely to endure subsequent episodes, with an alarming 80% of those who have faced two episodes at risk of experiencing further instances.
Researchers at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, monitored a cohort of 145 teenagers (64.8% female) who had a family history of depressive or anxiety disorders, placing them in a high-risk category for similar challenges. These families were part of the Calgary Biopsychosocial Risk for Adolescent Internalizing Disorders (CBRAID) study, a comprehensive research initiative focused on identifying premorbid factors related to the first occurrences of mood and anxiety disorders during adolescence.
Over nine- and eighteen-month periods, the researchers evaluated whether participants had developed major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, or suicidal thoughts. They discovered that a notably muted reaction to reward feedback—known as reward positivity—observed during an EEG scan while the teens played a game, was predictive of the first occurrence of depression, but not anxiety or suicidal thoughts. This observation implies that adolescents who experience less joy or gratification from rewards might be at greater risk for initial depressive episodes.
Gia-Huy L. Hoang, the study’s first author and a second-year master’s student in neuroscience at the University of Calgary, noted, “Evidence suggests that children suffering from depressive or anxiety disorders, which often occur concurrently, typically demonstrate a decreased response to rewards. Our research indicates that the brain’s reaction to rewards could serve as a specific marker indicating the risk for depression in teenagers, rather than for anxiety or suicidal thoughts. Utilizing EEG to gauge this brain response is an accessible and cost-effective approach.”
Dr. Cameron S. Carter, Editor-in-Chief of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging and a professor at the University of California, Irvine, remarked, “Depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors are closely interlinked issues that tend to manifest during adolescence and cause significant disability. While reward processing is associated with these conditions, the question remains regarding whether a weakened response to rewards can predict their onset and specifically signals the risk of depression. Researching distinct biomarkers capable of identifying the risk for initial instances of these issues is crucial for advancing our understanding and assessment of mental health risks.”
Daniel C. Kopala-Sibley, PhD, a senior investigator at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education, and the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, concluded, “Our findings are vital in unraveling the neurological underpinnings of why some teenagers experience their first depressive episodes. This knowledge could enhance our capacity to recognize individuals at risk and implement proactive measures to deter the emergence of these disorders.”
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