Guanmin Liu1,2, Na Zhang3, Jia Yuan Teoh2, Christine Egan4, Thomas A Zeffiro5, Richard J Davidson1,6,7,8, Karina Quevedo2. 1. Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53703, USA. 2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55454, USA. 3. Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, Stamford, CT06901, USA. 4. Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455, USA. 5. University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21201, USA. 6. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53706, USA. 7. Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53705, USA. 8. Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53719, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Given the prevalence of adolescent depression and the modest effects of current treatments, research ought to inform development of effective intervention strategies. Self-compassion is inversely associated with depression, and self-compassion interventions have demonstrated promising effects on reducing depression. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying that relationship. Maladaptive self-processing is a characteristic of depression that contributes to the onset and chronicity of depression. Because our own face is an automatic and direct cue for self-processing, this study investigated whether self-compassion was associated with neural responses during sad v. neutral self-face recognition and explore their relationship with depression severity in depressed adolescents and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: During functional magnetic resonance imaging, 81 depressed youth and 37 HCs were instructed to identify whether morphed self or other faces with sad, happy, or neutral expressions resembled their own. RESULTS: Self-compassion correlated negatively with activity during sad v. neutral self-face recognition in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in the total sample, and in the right posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus in HCs, respectively. In depressed adolescents, higher self-compassion correlated with lower activity during sad v. neutral self-face recognition in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), implying that less cognitive effort might be needed to avoid dwelling on sad self-faces and/or regulate negative affect induced by them. Moreover, higher self-compassion mediated the relationship between lower DLPFC activity and reduced depression severity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings imply that DLPFC activity might be a biological marker of a successful self-compassion intervention as potential treatment for adolescent depression.
BACKGROUND: Given the prevalence of adolescent depression and the modest effects of current treatments, research ought to inform development of effective intervention strategies. Self-compassion is inversely associated with depression, and self-compassion interventions have demonstrated promising effects on reducing depression. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying that relationship. Maladaptive self-processing is a characteristic of depression that contributes to the onset and chronicity of depression. Because our own face is an automatic and direct cue for self-processing, this study investigated whether self-compassion was associated with neural responses during sad v. neutral self-face recognition and explore their relationship with depression severity in depressed adolescents and healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: During functional magnetic resonance imaging, 81 depressed youth and 37 HCs were instructed to identify whether morphed self or other faces with sad, happy, or neutral expressions resembled their own. RESULTS: Self-compassion correlated negatively with activity during sad v. neutral self-face recognition in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in the total sample, and in the right posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus in HCs, respectively. In depressed adolescents, higher self-compassion correlated with lower activity during sad v. neutral self-face recognition in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), implying that less cognitive effort might be needed to avoid dwelling on sad self-faces and/or regulate negative affect induced by them. Moreover, higher self-compassion mediated the relationship between lower DLPFC activity and reduced depression severity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings imply that DLPFC activity might be a biological marker of a successful self-compassion intervention as potential treatment for adolescent depression.
Authors: Kelly H Werner; Hooria Jazaieri; Philippe R Goldin; Michal Ziv; Richard G Heimberg; James J Gross Journal: Anxiety Stress Coping Date: 2011-09-06
Authors: Marcos E Domínguez-Arriola; Víctor E Olalde-Mathieu; Eduardo A Garza-Villarreal; Fernando A Barrios Journal: Brain Topogr Date: 2022-08-21 Impact factor: 4.275