Brain Imaging of Psychotherapy for Depression

Brain Imaging of Psychotherapy for Depression (Includes, "Reward System Recovery Following Behavioral Activation Therapy in Depression")

The goal of the proposed research is to examine the neural correlates of depressive symptom reduction in individuals with major depressive disorder using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and to compare results to those obtained from a nondepressed control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• For group 1: Diagnosis of current depression and no other current Axis I psychiatric disorder
• For group 1: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of 15 or greater

Exclusion Criteria:

• A history of serious head injury or neurological disease or psychosis
• Current use of psychoactive medications
• Factors that could affect MRI safety including current or planned pregnancy
• For group 2: current Axis I psychiatric disorder, as assessed by structured clinical interview