Neural and behavioural patterns of avoidance; an fMRI analysis and online study approach

抑郁症是一种情绪障碍，通常难以治疗，部分原因是抑郁症有不同的亚型。为了更有效的治疗，我们需要更好地了解表征亚型的行为模式，以及大脑活动和化学的潜在模式。抑郁症的一种行为模式尚未得到充分研究，但在神经生物学上有很好的特征，那就是回避。对老鼠的研究表明，不同的大脑回路隐藏着特定类型的回避行为。这些回路以不同的方式在逃避和寻求奖励的行为中起作用。这项研究表明，表现出不同回避模式的人会表现出不同的大脑活动模式，因此可能从不同类型的治疗中受益。该项目的总体目标是分析几个人类参与者在完成一项新开发的实验任务时记录的脑成像数据（fMRI），该任务测量了逃避和寻求奖励的亚型。此外，将进行一项在线研究，以了解某人在完成这项新实验任务时的情绪是否会影响他们的表现。预计这些结果将有助于阐明回避在抑郁症中的作用，并最终帮助指导未来的治疗选择。

EPSRC : KIMBERLEY BEAUMONT : EP/S023704/1Depression is a mood disorder that is often resistant to treatment - in part because there are distinct subtypes of depression. For more effective treatment, we need to better understand patterns of behaviour that characterize subtypes as well as underlying patterns of brain activity and chemistry. One pattern of behaviour that has been under-investigated in depression, but is well-characterized neurobiologically, is avoidance. Studies in rats have demonstrated distinct brain circuits underlying specific types of avoidance behaviours. These circuits act in distinct ways in avoidance relative to reward-seeking behaviours. This research suggests that humans showing different patterns of avoidance would show different patterns of brain activity, and may therefore benefit from different types of treatment. The overarching aim of this project is to analyse brain imaging data (fMRI) that has been recorded from several human participants whilst they completed a newly developed experimental task that measures subtypes of avoidance and reward seeking. Additionally, an online study will be conducted to understand whether someone's mood at the time of completing this novel experimental task affects their performance. It is anticipated that these results will help clarify the role avoidance plays in depression, and ultimately help guide treatment selection in the future.