Targeting Reward Pathways to Treat Depression

Summary: New research highlights how the brain’s reward-learning system can guide personalized treatments for depression. By studying two brain signals, expected value and prediction error, researchers identified markers that predict…

Teen Brain’s Blunted Reward Response Predicts Depression Onset

Summary: A new study reveals that a reduced neural response to rewards in teens predicts the first onset of depression, but not anxiety or suicidality. Researchers used EEG scans to…

Individual Reward-Seeking Predicts Nicotine Response

Summary: A new study finds that individualistic reward-seeking behaviors in mice can predict their responses to nicotine. Conducted in a semi-natural environment called Souris-City, the research observed how male mice…

Beta Brain Waves: A Novel Brain Signature for Depression

Summary: A new study identifies beta frequency neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as crucial for recognizing rewards and shaping behavior. This neural signature is altered in patients…