Previous Projects

Does emotional processing mediate the link between disordered sleep and depression?

PI: Kimberly O’Leary

The main purpose of this study was to assess whether the emotional processing system is a mediating factor in the relationship between disordered sleep and depression. The first aim i to assess the potential of impairment in the emotional processing system as a mediator for the relationship between disordered sleep and depression. The second aim is to explore the various subscales of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); the various components of sleep as a biological imperative may differentially affect various processing systems.

Biobehavioral Inflexibility and Risk for Juvenile Onset Depression

PI's: Marika Kovacs and Jonathan Rottenberg

In this NIMH funded project, we are focused on bio-behavioral inflexibility as a framework to identify risk factors for juvenile-onset depression (JOD).

Positive Autobiographical Memory Deficits Among Youth with Depression History and Their Never Depressed Siblings

PI's: Ena Begovic, Vanessa Panaite

This project examined how depression status (currently and formerly depressed, high-risk for depression, and never depressed) impacted memory characteristics, as well as how PAM deficits were related to clinical characteristics and mood regulation.

Behavioral (in)flexibility at two temporal dimensions in depressed probands and at risk siblings.

PI's: Vanessa Panaite, Kim O'Leary

This study investigated behavioral flexibility as it relates to depression state, trait and risk by including currently and previously depressed children, their at risk siblings and healthy peers.

Vagal Fluctuation as a Predictor of Current and Future Depression

PI's: Jonathan Rottenberg and Kristen Salomon

This project investigated abnormalities in vagal fluctuation as a liability marker for depression. Towards this goal, we assessed clinical and psychophysiological functioning in individuals with current major depression, past major depression, and healthy individuals, to examine whether depression vulnerability is associated with deficient vagal fluctuation and whether preserved vagal fluctuation predicts recovery from depression.

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity predicts depression symptom improvement over 30 weeks

PI's: Vanessa Panaite, Alexandra Cowden Hindash

This investigation focused on clarifying whether reduced RSA reactivity to a variety of emotional contexts is associated with symptomatic improvement.

Emotion regulation difficulties mediate the link between poor sleep quality and depression symptoms

PI's: Kim O'Leary, Lauren Bylsma

This study tested the idea that poor sleep may impair emotion regulation quality, which in turn may lead to depressive symptoms in currently depressed, remitted, and healthy individuals. .

Does Emotion-Modulated Startle Predict the Course of Major and Minor Depression?

PI: April Clift

In collaboration with Dr. David Drobes, we utilized the emotion-modulated startle paradigm to examine whether emotional reactivity will predict the course of depression.

The Effect of Stress on Hedonic Capacity in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Prospective Experimental Study of One Potential Pathway to Depression

PI: Bethany Morris

The project examined how stress can induce behavioral anhedonia, or reduced responsiveness to reward, which is associated with MDD. The study investigates whether this effect is increased in individuals with GAD, who are at risk for developing depressive symptoms, as well as whether stress-induced anhedonia predicts future depression symptoms.

Does Goal Generation and Pursuit Vary as a Function of Depressive Status?

PI: Lindsay Brauer

This study was an examination of goal generation as a function of depressive status, as examined in individuals who are currently depressed, remitted-depressed, and in those who have never been depressed.

Emotion-Modulated Startle and the Severity and Course of Depression

PI: April Clift

To clarify whether deficits in emotion-modulated startle are a biomarker of syndromal MDD, in collaboration with Dr. David Drobes we are examining startle during affective picture-viewing among individuals with syndromal MDD, subsyndromal MDD, and among asymptomatic individuals.

Emotional Reactivity to Daily Events in Major and Minor Depression

PI: Lauren Bylsma

To clarify the relationship of depression to emotional reactivity, this study examined emotional reactivity across varying levels of depression severity.

The Effects of Slow Breathing Training on RSA and Response to Stress

PI's: Kristen Salomon and Jonathan Rottenberg; Project coordinator: Lauren Bylsma

In this project, we collaborated with Dr. Kristen Salomon to investigate whether biofeedback techniques to manipulate RSA can produce antidepressant effects.

Depression and Cardiac Vagal Control

PI's: Jonathan Rottenberg and Kristen Salomon

The general aim of this project was to investigate abnormalities in vagal fluctuation as a liability marker for depression.