Grant: Project Grant

Only about half of those with major depressive disorder have a recurrence after their first episode of depression. Even with remission from the first episode of depression, return to vocational and social functioning can be delayed or only partial. We know very little about what predicts recurrence of depression or what contributes to recovering functioning. Two factors that can be examined with objective, performance-based assessment, blunted reward processing and cognitive performance, have emerged as predictors of outcomes. In this project, we will examine how early life experiences interact with cognitive abilities, decision making during effortful activity, and processing of reward to predict both recurrence of depression and the degree and timing of functional recovery after the first episode of depression.