TY - JOUR
T1 - Reward-Related Striatal Responses Following Stress in Healthy Individuals and Patients With Bipolar Disorder
AU - van Leeuwen, Judith M. C.
AU - Vink, Matthijs
AU - Joëls, Marian
AU - Kahn, René S.
AU - Hermans, Erno J.
AU - Vinkers, Christiaan H.
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - Background: Stress has a major impact on the onset and recurrence of mood episodes in bipolar disorder (BD), but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Previous studies have shown distinct time-dependent effects of stress on reward processing in healthy individuals. Impaired reward processing is a core characteristic of BD, and altered reward processing during recovery from stress could influence the development and course of bipolar disorder. Methods: We investigated brain responses during reward processing 50 minutes after stress using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 40 healthy control subjects and 40 patients with euthymic BD assigned to either an acute stress test (Trier Social Stress Test) or a no-stress condition. Results: Acute stress increased cortisol levels in both healthy control subjects and patients with BD. Ventral striatal responses to reward outcome were increased in healthy control subjects during stress recovery but not in patients with BD. For anticipation, no differences were found between the groups following stress. Conclusions: For the first time, we show altered reward processing in patients with BD during the recovery phase of stress. These data suggest reduced neural flexibility of hedonic signaling in response to environmental challenges. This may increase the susceptibility to stressful life events in the future and play a role in the development of further psychopathology in the longer term.
AB - Background: Stress has a major impact on the onset and recurrence of mood episodes in bipolar disorder (BD), but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Previous studies have shown distinct time-dependent effects of stress on reward processing in healthy individuals. Impaired reward processing is a core characteristic of BD, and altered reward processing during recovery from stress could influence the development and course of bipolar disorder. Methods: We investigated brain responses during reward processing 50 minutes after stress using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 40 healthy control subjects and 40 patients with euthymic BD assigned to either an acute stress test (Trier Social Stress Test) or a no-stress condition. Results: Acute stress increased cortisol levels in both healthy control subjects and patients with BD. Ventral striatal responses to reward outcome were increased in healthy control subjects during stress recovery but not in patients with BD. For anticipation, no differences were found between the groups following stress. Conclusions: For the first time, we show altered reward processing in patients with BD during the recovery phase of stress. These data suggest reduced neural flexibility of hedonic signaling in response to environmental challenges. This may increase the susceptibility to stressful life events in the future and play a role in the development of further psychopathology in the longer term.
KW - Bipolar disorder
KW - Cortisol
KW - Imaging
KW - Reward
KW - Stress
KW - Trier Social Stress Test
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85071256093&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31471186
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.06.014
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.06.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 31471186
SN - 2451-9022
VL - 4
SP - 966
EP - 974
JO - Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
JF - Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
IS - 11
ER -