Improving social reward responsivity and social connectedness in psychotherapies for late-life depression: Engage & Connect as an example.

Publication Type	Academic Article
Authors	Solomonov N
Journal	Psychiatry Res
Volume	329
Pagination	115469
Date Published	09/10/2023
ISSN	1872-7123
Keywords	Depression, Psychotherapy
Abstract	Psychotherapies are effective in reducing late-life depression. Yet, about half of patients remain depressed at treatment end. Advances in neuroscience can inform simplified interventions that target key brain networks impacted by depression. Behavioral activation therapies that increase social connectedness may improve social reward responsivity and alter abnormalities of the Positive Valence System (PVS). Engage & Connect is an example for a scalable and simple neuroscience-informed psychotherapy, aimed to improve PVS functions and social reward responsivity by increasing engagement in rewarding social activities. Interventions that improve social reward responsivity can be promising first-line treatments for late-life depression in the community.
DOI	10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115469
PubMed ID	37783093
PubMed Central ID	PMC10841452