Hierarchical representation of affective expectation effects and their predictive value for longitudinal treatment outcomes in patients with depression (A06)

• Subject Area: Biological Psychiatry
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 422744262

Project A06 will capitalize on its novel experimental paradigm that allows for the investigation of attentional and decision biases in positive treatment expectations and their impact on negative affect. As the long-term modulation of the emotional system relies on both cognitive top-down processes and affective, less costly bottom-up processes, A06 will extend its approach by combining neural and psychophysiological measures that are sensitive to changes from early sensory to late cognitive processing. Further, this project will investigate the predictive value of individual expectation responsiveness for longitudinal trajectories in patients with major depressive disorder.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 289: Treatment Expectation - The impact of expectation on health outcome
• Applicant Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Stefanie Brassen