Severity of anhedonia is associated with hyper-synchronization of the salience-default mode network in non-clinical individuals: a resting state EEG connectivity study
Claudio Imperatori, Giorgia Allegrini, Aurelia Lo Presti, Giuseppe A Carbone, Mauro Adenzato, Benedetto Farina, Rita B Ardito
Journal of Neural Transmission February 15, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-025-02894-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 82 |
| Population | Non-clinical adult volunteers (36 males; mean age 24.28 ± 7.35 years) |
| Measures | Beck Depression Inventory-derived 4-item anhedonia scale (BDI-Anh4), Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI) |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Anhedonia severity was positively associated with resting-state salience–default mode network connectivity in the beta band (r = 0.409), and this connectivity independently explained an additional 11% of anhedonia variance (β = 0.358). The authors propose this pattern may reflect difficulty disengaging from internal/self-related mental contents, impairing processing of rewarding stimuli. |
Abstract
Anhedonia is a core transnosographic symptom in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Recently, the Triple Network (TN) model has been proposed as a useful neurophysiological paradigm for conceptualizing anhedonia, providing new insights to clinicians and researchers. Despite this, the relationship between the functional dynamics of TN and the severity of anhedonia has been relatively understudied in non-clinical samples, especially in the resting state (RS) condition. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated this relationship using electroencephalography (EEG) functional connectivity. Eighty-two participants (36 males; mean age: 24.28 ± 7.35 years) underwent RS EEG recording with eyes-closed and completed the Beck Depression Inventory-derived 4-item anhedonia scale (BDI-Anh4) and the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI). EEG data on functional connectivity were analyzed using the exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA). A significant positive correlation was observed between the BDI-Anh4 total score and salience-default mode network connectivity in the beta frequency band (r = 0.409; p = 0.010). The results of the hierarchical linear regression analysis also showed that this connectivity pattern was positively and independently associated (β = 0.358; p < 0.001) with the BDI-Anh4 total score and explained an additional 11% of the anhedonia variability. The association between anhedonia severity and increased salience-default mode network synchronization detected in the current study may reflect difficulty disengaging from internal/self-related mental contents, which consequently impairs the processing of other stimuli, including rewarding stimuli.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on default mode network, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Mapping the self in the brain's default mode network Neuroimage February 15, 2016
- Triple Network Model Dynamically Revisited: Lower Salience Network State Switching in Pre-psychosis Frontiers in Physiology February 11, 2020
- Philosophy of psychiatry: theoretical advances and clinical implications. World Psychiatry June 1, 2024
- The Use of Ketamine for the Treatment of Anhedonia in Depression. CNS Drugs August 1, 2024
- Effects of Ketamine on Resting-State EEG Activity and Their Relationship to Perceptual/Dissociative Symptoms in Healthy Humans Frontiers in Pharmacology September 27, 2016