Neural alterations to novelty propensity and reward predication error in adolescents with depressive symptomology

MDD is a leading cause of illness within adolescents and has been associated with decision-making impairments. Two important components of decision making include Expected Value (EV) and Reward Prediction Error (RPE), the latter being the difference between the value of the feedback and EV. Individuals with depression have shown neural dysfunctions in reward-related areas, including medial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum. However, little work has looked at the neural correlates of RPE with regard to Novelty Propensity (NP) in adolescents with depressive symptomology. The goal of the current study was to examine neural correlates of RPE, particularly regarding NP, in adolescents with and without depressive symptomatology.