Effect of Abuse on Depressed Adolescents
Increasing prevalence has caused adolescent depression to become an increasingly relevant topic of psychiatric research. Currently, treatments for depression are generalized and ineffective. Factors like abuse have previously been implicated in the development of treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and is characterized by dysfunctional social-cognition, increased negative self-processing, and increased rumination. Midline cortical structures (PCC, ACC, precuneus, medial PFC, and the fusiform gyrus) and limbic structures (amygdala, hippocampus, and putamen) have been implicated in the process of self-processing and show modified activity in depressed participants. Depressed individuals have consistently shown lower activity in these regions when exposed to images of their own face exhibiting a happy expression. Assessing neural function of depressed participants during a self-recognition task may provide further understanding of the mechanisms underlying TRD. Further analysis between abused and non-abused depressed individuals will provide novel neuropathological data that could help in the development of treatments for those suffering from abuse and depression.Here we show that abused depressed individuals show greater activity than baseline in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, Anterior Cingulate, and Frontal Lobe in response to face versus shape stimuli. Additionally, Nonabused depressed participants exhibit significantly lower activation of the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, Insula, Brodmann Area 47, and Brodmann Area 13 than both abused depressed and healthy control participants. This indicates that the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, Anterior Cingulate and Frontal Lobe are key neural correlates to consider for the effect of abuse on depressed individuals. Activity of the Insula, BA 47, and BA 13 may also be indicators of the presence of treatment-resistant depression. These results provide the basis for the understanding of neural differences caused by abuse in depressed adolescents. A better-defined difference in brain activity across these groups is imperative to further inform treatment options in the future for depressed individuals.