The Effects of Acute Stress on the Reward Positivity and Its Association with Depressive Symptoms
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| Title: | The Effects of Acute Stress on the Reward Positivity and Its Association with Depressive Symptoms |
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| Authors: | N/A |
| Committee Members: | Burani, Kreshnik (author); Proudfit, Greg Hajcak (professor directing thesis); Meyer, Alexandria (committee member); Eckel, Lisa A. (committee member); Florida State University (degree granting institution); College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college); Department of Psychology (degree granting department) |
| Summary: | Increased stress and blunted reward processing are important risk factors and correlates of Major Depressive Disorder. The experience of acute stress has been shown to reduced fMRI correlates of reward processing; however, few studies have demonstrated that acute stress reduced event-related potential (ERP) measures of reward processing. The current study examined whether acute stress (i.e., cold pressor) blunted the Reward Positivity (RewP)--an ERP measure of reward processing--and whether current depressive symptoms moderated the impact of acute stress. The sample included 104 college students preselected for high and low depressive symptoms. Participants completed a reward task during three different condition, presented in counterbalanced order: an acute stress condition, a control condition and a distraction condition. The findings suggest that the RewP was blunted in the acute stress condition compared to both the control condition and the distraction condition; however, the RewP did not differ between the control condition and the distraction condition. Furthermore, the results suggest that current depressive symptoms did not moderate the impact of acute stress on the RewP. Overall, the current study provides evidence that the experience of acute stress dampens reward-related neural activity and that current depressive symptoms do not impact the effects of acute stress on reward processing. |
| Database: | OpenDissertations |
| Abstract: | Increased stress and blunted reward processing are important risk factors and correlates of Major Depressive Disorder. The experience of acute stress has been shown to reduced fMRI correlates of reward processing; however, few studies have demonstrated that acute stress reduced event-related potential (ERP) measures of reward processing. The current study examined whether acute stress (i.e., cold pressor) blunted the Reward Positivity (RewP)--an ERP measure of reward processing--and whether current depressive symptoms moderated the impact of acute stress. The sample included 104 college students preselected for high and low depressive symptoms. Participants completed a reward task during three different condition, presented in counterbalanced order: an acute stress condition, a control condition and a distraction condition. The findings suggest that the RewP was blunted in the acute stress condition compared to both the control condition and the distraction condition; however, the RewP did not differ between the control condition and the distraction condition. Furthermore, the results suggest that current depressive symptoms did not moderate the impact of acute stress on the RewP. Overall, the current study provides evidence that the experience of acute stress dampens reward-related neural activity and that current depressive symptoms do not impact the effects of acute stress on reward processing. |
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