Early childhood neural reward-related reactivity concurrently and prospectively associates with depressive symptom severity

Key Points

• Neural reward-related reactivity correlates with the severity of depressive symptoms.
• Children displaying lower reactivity showed higher depressive symptom severity at follow-up assessments.
• Observational analysis evaluated children over a specified time period to track symptoms.
• Findings suggest that early correlates may indicate future depression risks, highlighting the need for early monitoring.