Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Depression, also called major depressive disorder, involves persistent sadness and loss of interest, and is linked to how the brain evaluates rewarding experiences. A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) explored this connection by using video games designed to measure the brain's decisional reference point—a benchmark for determining whether events are positive or negative.
The research team, led by Drs. Aadith Vittala, Dan Iosifescu, and Paul Glimcher at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, tested 50 individuals with moderate or severe depression and 70 healthy controls. Participants played two video games that evaluated when a task ceased to be rewarding and how decisional reference points adapted to changing reward values.
In the first game, participants collected virtual apples from trees that yielded fewer apples each time they were harvested. Those with depression moved on to new trees sooner than healthy participants, with the timing correlating to depression severity. This suggested a difference in reward processing in depression.
In the second game, participants first indicated the maximum amount they would pay for various snack items, establishing a baseline decisional reference point. They then rated the desirability of their top or bottom snack items repeatedly, requiring adjustments to their reference points. Finally, they re-ranked the original list. Healthy participants adjusted their reference points appropriately, but those with depression did not, indicating elevated reference points and reduced adaptability to changing rewards.
The findings, published May 18, 2026, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that video games measuring decisional reference points may help doctors screen for depression more efficiently by assessing underlying reward-processing mechanisms.