Treatment with the second-generation antipsychotic quetiapine is associated with increased subgenual ACC activation during reward processing in major depressive disorder

Omlor, Nicola; Richter, Maike; Goltermann, Janik; Steinmann, Lavinia A.; Kraus, Anna; Borgers, Tiana; Klug, Melissa; Enneking, Verena; Redlich, Ronny; Dohm, Katharina; Repple, Jonathan; Leehr, Elisabeth J.; Grotegerd, Dominik; Kugel, Harald; Bauer, Jochen; Dannlowski, Udo; Opel, Nils

Abstract

Background The second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) quetiapine is an essential option for antidepressant augmentation therapy in major depressive disorder (MDD), yet neurobiological mechanisms behind its antidepressant properties remain unclear. As SGAs interfere with activity in reward-related brain areas, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) — a key brain region in antidepressant interventions, this study examined whether quetiapine treatment affects ACC activity during reward processing in MDD patients. Methods Using the ACC as region of interest, an independent t-test comparing reward-related BOLD response of 51 quetiapine-taking and 51 antipsychotic-free MDD patients was conducted. Monetary reward outcome feedback was measured in a card-guessing paradigm using pseudorandom blocks. Participants were matched for age, sex, and depression severity and analyses were controlled for confounding variables, including total antidepressant medication load, illness chronicity and acute depression severity. Potential dosage effects were examined in a 3 × 1 ANOVA. Differences in ACC-related functional connectivity were assessed in psycho-physiological interaction (PPI) analyses. Results Left subgenual ACC activity was significantly higher in the quetiapine group compared to antipsychotic-free participants and dependent on high-dose quetiapine intake. Results remained significant after controlling for confounding variables. The PPI analysis did not yield significant group differences in ACC-related functional connectivity. Limitations Causal interpretation is limited due to cross-sectional findings. Conclusion Elevated subgenual ACC activity to rewarding stimuli may represent a neurobiological marker and potential key interface of quetiapine's antidepressant effects in MDD. These results underline ACC activity during reward processing as an investigative avenue for future research and therapeutic interventions to improve MDD treatment outcomes.