The Queen and I: Neural Correlates of Altered Self-Related Cognitions in Major Depressive Episode

BACKGROUND: Pervasive negative thoughts about the self are central to the experience of depression. Brain imaging studies in the general population have localised self-related cognitive processing to areas of the medial pre-frontal cortex. AIMS: To use fMRI to compare the neural correlates of self-referential processing in depressed and non-depressed participants. METHOD: Cross-sectional comparison of regional activation using Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI in 13 non-medicated participants with major depressive episode and 14 comparison participants, whilst carrying out a self-referential cognitive task. RESULTS: Both groups showed significant activation of the dorsomedial pre-frontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex in the ‘self-referent’ condition. The depressed group showed significantly greater activation in the medial superior frontal cortex during the self-referent task. No difference was observed between groups in the ‘other-referent’ condition. CONCLUSIONS: Major depressive episode is associated with specific neurofunctional changes related to self-referential processing.