# Bottom-Up Mechanisms of Dysfunctional Self Evaluation in Depression

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $112,471

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and despite the fact that several treatments have been
developed, only a minority of patients (<40%) respond and sustain that response for a year, regardless of which
treatment they receive. Sustained response rates beyond one year are lower still. Thus, there is a vital public
health need to better target the enduring quality of depressive symptoms and to improve longer-term outcomes.
Negative self-evaluations, a core characteristic of depressive illness, appear to contribute to the enduring nature
of depression. Negative self-evaluations are not only linked directly to the persistence of depressive symptoms,
but for many, negative self-evaluations persist even after otherwise effective treatments, increasing the risk of
relapse. Although much is known about the cognitive deficits and negative information processing biases in
memory and attention among adults with depression, very little is known about the specific disruptions in
information processing and brain function that cause depressed adults to make overly negative self-evaluations
either during or following episodes of depression. We argue that we can substantially improve longer-term
outcomes by identifying the underlying pathology that leads to these negative self-evaluations so that better
targeted and more enduring treatments can be developed. Building on our preliminary data, and the work of
others, the goal of this short-term project is to provide the first test of a novel hypothesis about the neural
mechanisms that lead to dysfunctional self-evaluations in current and remitted depressed adults and to begin to
examine the real-world consequences of that pathology for future symptoms and functioning. To test our
hypotheses, we will evaluate behavioral and neuroimaging markers of abnormal processing during self-
evaluation in 30 currently depressed, 30 remitted depressed, and 30 healthy adults. Participants will complete
baseline clinical and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) assessments, as well as three weeklong
daily diary protocols (over the span of four months) that will assess symptoms, self-evaluations in daily life, and
real-world functioning. The project will examine processes leading to the abnormal engagement of the
autobiographical memory (Aim 1) and social-cognitive (Aim 2) networks among depressed adults when
evaluating self-relevant material, and it will examine whether abnormalities in brain function during self-
evaluation prospectively predict psychiatric symptoms and poorer interpersonal and work functioning in daily life
(Exploratory Aim). The aims of the project match well with the strategic goals of the National Institute of Mental
Health, and the results of this study have the potential to lead to new, brain-based treatment strategies to target
the identified mechanisms underlying negative self-evaluations to improve longer-term outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9950024
- **Project number:** 1R21MH122674-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Jay C Fournier
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $112,471
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-15 → 2021-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9950024

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9950024, Bottom-Up Mechanisms of Dysfunctional Self Evaluation in Depression (1R21MH122674-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9950024. Licensed CC0.

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