The interaction between the midbrain dopaminergic system and the striatum is implicated in reward processing; it is still unknown, however, how this interaction is altered in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In the current study, we compared coupling of dopamine release/binding and neural activity in adults diagnosed with MDD and healthy controls (CTLs) during a monetary incentive delay (MID) task using simultaneous $$$[^{11}C]$$$Raclopride PET and fMRI. We obtained significant correlations in CTLs but not in MDD patients, indicating that the decoupling of dopaminergic system and striatum, especially nucleus accumbens, may play a vital role in the pathophysiology of MDD.
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