Scientists have created a smartphone game that may help identify depression in just a few minutes.
The game is based on how people react to rewards and pleasure, and researchers believe it could one day become a fast and low-cost way to support mental health care.
The study was carried out by researchers at NYU Langone Health and published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings focus on a major symptom of depression called anhedonia, which means losing the ability to enjoy things that normally feel rewarding.
Depression affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is more than simply feeling sad for a short time. People with depression may feel emotionally numb, exhausted, hopeless, or disconnected from life. Many also lose interest in hobbies, relationships, food, music, work, or other activities they once enjoyed.
Doctors usually diagnose depression through interviews and mental health assessments.
While these methods are important, they can sometimes be time-consuming and may depend on how comfortable people feel discussing their emotions openly. Because of this, scientists have been searching for new tools that can measure mental health changes more objectively.
The researchers behind the new study became interested in how depression affects decision-making and pleasure. Earlier neuroscience research suggested that people with depression may process rewards differently from healthy individuals.
To test this idea, the team created a simple game involving digital apple trees. Participants played the game on a smartphone while researchers studied their choices.
The study involved 120 people. Fifty participants had already been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, while 70 participants did not have depression.
In the game, players collected apples from virtual trees. At first, each tree produced many apples, but over time the number slowly decreased. Players had to decide how long it was worth staying with one tree before moving on to another.
This may sound simple, but the researchers believed the choices reflected how the brain evaluates rewards.
The results showed a striking difference between healthy participants and people with depression. Healthy players generally stayed with a tree until it produced around five apples. People with depression tended to leave much earlier, often when the tree was still producing eight or nine apples.
This suggested that participants with depression stopped finding the activity rewarding much sooner.
The scientists believe this may reflect deeper changes in the brain systems linked to motivation and pleasure. Earlier studies had connected these reward systems to a brain area called the anterior cingulate cortex, which helps people process expectations and make decisions.
The researchers also tested how participants reacted when their environment changed. In another part of the study, participants bid on snack foods they liked. Healthy participants adjusted their expectations when the snack options changed and later returned to their original preferences.
People with depression, however, showed much less flexibility. Their expectations seemed to remain “stuck” even after conditions changed.
According to the researchers, this inability to reset expectations normally may help explain why depression can feel so persistent and difficult to overcome.
Professor Paul W. Glimcher, one of the senior authors of the study, said the game may offer a window into the brain processes involved in depression. He explained that researchers hope to create mental health tools that work as reliably as physical health tests such as blood pressure measurements.
Researcher Aadith Vittala added that these findings could also point toward future treatments. Scientists are already exploring whether therapy or medications could help improve the brain’s flexibility in processing rewards and expectations.
The study also highlights a growing understanding that depression is not one single condition. Instead, it may include several subtypes with different brain mechanisms. Measuring how people respond to rewards may help doctors identify patients with specific forms of depression linked to anhedonia.
One of the biggest advantages of the new tool is simplicity. The game can be played remotely on a smartphone in only a few minutes. This could eventually make mental health monitoring easier for patients who live far from clinics or struggle to access mental health services.
Remote testing may also help doctors track changes in symptoms more regularly instead of relying only on occasional appointments.
The researchers emphasize that the game is still experimental and should not replace professional mental health care. More studies are needed before it can be used widely in hospitals or clinics. Scientists also need to test the game in larger and more diverse populations.
Still, many experts see the findings as exciting because they combine technology and neuroscience in a practical and accessible way.
If you care about depression, please read studies about how dairy foods may influence depression risk, and B vitamins could help prevent depression and anxiety.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies that ultra-processed foods may make you feel depressed, and extra-virgin olive oil could reduce depression symptoms.
Source: NYU Langone Health.
