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World J Psychiatry. Jun 19, 2026; 16(6): 116800
Published online Jun 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i6.116800
Published online Jun 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i6.116800
Advances in electrophysiological research on emotional and reward processing in major depressive disorder
Jia-Min Han, Jia-Zhao Zhang, Ya-Wen Wu, Jing Zhang, Xin-Yu Wang, Xiao-Hong Liu, Jun Wang, Zhen-He Zhou, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214151, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-first authors: Jia-Min Han and Jia-Zhao Zhang.
Co-corresponding authors: Jun Wang and Zhen-He Zhou.
Author contributions: Han JM and Zhang JZ collected and organized the literature, drafted the manuscript and they contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors; Wu YW, Zhang J, Wang XY, and Liu XH assisted with literature collection; Han JM, Zhang JZ, Wu YW, Zhang J, Wang XY, and Liu XH revised the manuscript; Wang J and Zhou ZH designed the study and they contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-corresponding authors. All authors contributed to the manuscript revision and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: In the course of preparing this manuscript, we utilized ChatGPT to enhance the linguistic quality. Following the application of this tool, we conducted a thorough review and made necessary edits to the content, assuming full responsibility for the publication’s final version.
Supported by the Wuxi Taihu Talent Project, No. WXTTP2021.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Zhen-He Zhou, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, No. 156 Qianrong Road, Wuxi 214151, Jiangsu Province, China. zhouzh@jiangnan.edu.cn
Received: November 21, 2025
Revised: February 21, 2026
Accepted: March 20, 2026
Published online: June 19, 2026
Processing time: 189 Days and 4.2 Hours
Revised: February 21, 2026
Accepted: March 20, 2026
Published online: June 19, 2026
Processing time: 189 Days and 4.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This review elucidates electrophysiological evidence indicating that major depressive disorder is characterized by widespread abnormalities in emotional and reward processing. By synthesizing event-related potentials markers with disruptions in prefrontal-limbic and mesocorticolimbic circuits, it identifies these deficits as potential endophenotypes and transdiagnostic features. Furthermore, the review provides a summary of emerging mechanism-based interventions that demonstrate promising translational potential.