Autobiographical Memory Disturbances in Depression: A Novel Therapeutic Target?

Table 2

Functional neuroimaging studies which investigated brain networks involved in autobiographical memory (AM) processing in individuals with depression.

Reference	Sample size ()	Sample characteristics	Neuroimaging approach/task	Main findings
Whalley et al., 2012 [78]	15 individuals with MDD; 15 controls	Age and education matched; Age: controls > MDD; Gender ratio: controls = MDD	1.5 T fMRI/recognition task	Participants with MDD displayed a lower activation of the right middle frontal cortex and bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, with only the right inferior frontal gyrus meeting the stricter cluster extent threshold
Young et al., 2012 [79]	12 unmedicated individuals with MDD; 14 controls	MDD: 4 females,; age = 34 ± 11, WASI = 120 ± 15; Controls: 7 females,; age = 29 ± 9, WASI = 118 ± 12	3.0 T fMRI/computerized AM test	Activation of the left hippocampus/striatum and right parahippocampal gyrus was higher for AM recall than a subtraction task in HC but lower in MDD; activation of the anterior insula bilaterally was lower for specific AM recall versus subtraction with the magnitude of the decrement being higher in MDD
Zhu et al., 2012 [80]	35 individuals with a first MDE; 35 matched controls	MDE: 18 females,; age = 20 ± 2; Controls: 19 females,; age = 20 ± 2	1.5 T fMRI/AMT	Participants with depression exhibited increased functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and ACC and decreased functional connectivity in the PCC/precuneus; the increased functional connectivity in the PCC/precuneus correlated negatively with OGM
Young et al., 2013 [81]	16 healthy controls (HC); 16 individuals at-risk for MDD (HR); 16 individuals with MDD (MDD)	HC: 11 females, age 36 ± 10,; WASI = 114 ± 10; HR: 11 females, age 33 ± 11,; WASI = 109 ± 7; MDD: 11 females,; age 38 ± 10, WASI = 115 ± 9	3.0 T fMRI/computerized AM test	During recollection of specific AMs compared to example generation, the following differences were noted: (1) Right Medial Frontal Polar Cortex: MDD > HR and MDD > HC; (2) Right Frontal Operculum: HC > HR and MDD > HR; (3) Right Pregenual ACC: MDD > HC and MDD > HR; (4) Left Pregenual ACC: MDD > HC and MDD > HR; (5) Left Cuneus: HR > MDD; HR > HC; MDD > HC and HR > MDD
Young et al., 2014 [82]	16 healthy controls (HC); 16 formerly depressed individuals (rMDD); 16 individuals with current depression (cMDD)	HC: 10 females, age = 27 ± 8,; WASI = 111 ± 10; rMDD: 10 females, age = 32 ± 12,; WASI = 110 ± 9; cMDD: 10 females, age = 34 ± 9,; WASI = 104 ± 9	3.0 T fMRI/computerized AM test	During recollection of specific AMs compared to example generation, the following differences were noted: (1) Right lateral OFC: rMDD > HC and rMDD > cMDD; (2) Right inferior temporal gyrus: rMDD > HC and rMDD > cMDD; (3) Right parahippocampus/hippocampus: rMDD > HC and rMDD > cMDD; (4) Left DMPFC: cMDD > rMDD; cMDD > HC and rMDD > HC; (5) Left parahippocampus/hippocampus: cMDD > rMDD; cMDD > HC and rMDD > HC; (6) Left anterior insula: cMDD > rMDD; cMDD > HC and rMDD > HC

MDD = major depressive disorder; MDE = major depressive episode; fMRI = functional magnetic resonance imaging; HC = healthy controls; ACC = anterior cingulate cortex; PCC = posterior cingulate cortex; OGM = overgeneral autobiographical memories; HR = individuals at risk for MDD; OFC = orbitofrontal cortex; rMDD = remitted MDD; cMDD = current major depressive episode; WASI = Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Treatment-naïve; female count in the sample; age: mean ± SD (years); WASI: mean ± SD.