The neurobiological reward system in Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD): A systematic review Review

   


Authors: Kakarala, S. E.; Roberts, K. E.; Rogers, M.; Coats, T.; Falzarano, F.; Gang, J.; Chilov, M.; Avery, J.; Maciejewski, P. K.; Lichtenthal, W. G.; Prigerson, H. G.
Review Title: The neurobiological reward system in Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD): A systematic review
Abstract: Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a debilitating condition affecting between 7% and 10% of bereaved individuals. Past imaging and psychological studies have proposed links between PGD's characteristic symptoms - in particular, profound yearning - and the neural reward system. We conducted a systematic review to investigate this connection. On December 19, 2019, we searched six bibliographic databases for data on the neurobiology of grief and disordered grief. We excluded studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, animal studies, and reviews. After abstract and full-text screening, twenty-four studies were included in the final review. We found diverse evidence for the activation of several reward-related regions of the brain in PGD. The data reviewed suggest that compared to normative grief, PGD involves a differential pattern of activity in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC); likely differential activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), rostral or subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and basal ganglia overall, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc); and possible differential activity in the insula. It also appears that oxytocin signaling is altered in PGD, though the exact mechanism is unclear. Our findings appear to be consistent with, though not confirmative of, conceptualizing PGD as a disorder of reward, and identify directions for future research. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: signal transduction; review; neuroimaging; systematic review; bereavement; insula; amygdala; reward; orbital cortex; oxytocin; complicated grief; nucleus accumbens; neurobiology; human; priority journal; anterior cingulate; complicated grief (cg); nneurobiology; prolonged grief disorder (pgd); posterior cingulate
Journal Title: Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging
Volume: 303
ISSN: 0925-4927
Publisher: Elsevier Ireland Ltd.  
Date Published: 2020-09-30
Start Page: 111135
Language: English
DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111135
PROVIDER: scopus
PUBMED: 32629197
PMCID: PMC7442719
DOI/URL:

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85087343936&doi=10.1016%2fj.pscychresns.2020.111135&partnerID=40&md5=d1759725f22cebaa848ee3fb1355a754
Notes: Review -- Export Date: 3 August 2020 -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Kailey Erin Roberts
    42 Roberts
  2. Wendy Gail Lichtenthal
    119 Lichtenthal
  3. Marina Chilov
    10 Chilov
  4. Taylor Corrine Coats
    8 Coats
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