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Bismark AW, Mikhael T, Mitchell K, Holden J, Granholm E. Pupillary responses as a biomarker of cognitive effort and the impact of task difficulty on reward processing in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2024; 267:216-222. [PMID: 38569395 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia robustly predict functional outcomes but remain relatively resistant to available treatments. Better measures of negative symptoms, especially motivational deficits, are needed to better understand these symptoms and improve treatment development. Recent research shows promise in linking behavioral effort tasks to motivational negative symptoms, reward processing deficits, and defeatist attitudes, but few studies account for individual or group (patient v. control) differences in cognitive ability to perform the tasks. Individuals with poorer abilities might be less motivated to perform tasks because they find them more difficult to perform. This study used a personalized digit span task to control task difficulty while measuring task effort via pupillary responses (greater dilation indicates greater cognitive effort) at varying monetary rewards ($1 & $2). Participants with schizophrenia (N = 34) and healthy controls (N = 41) performed a digit span task with personalized max span lengths and easy (max- 2 digits) and overload (max+ 2 digits) conditions. Consistent with many studies, pupillary responses (cognitive effort) increased with greater difficulty until exceeding capacity. A similar pattern of reward responsivity was seen in both groups, such that greater reward increased dilation (effort) comparably for both groups when difficulty was within capacity. Neither patients nor controls exerted increased effort for greater reward when difficulty exceeded capacity. In patients, positive relationships were found between pupil dilation and defeatist performance beliefs if task difficulty was within capacity; a relationship that reversed if the task was too difficult. The findings demonstrate the importance of accounting for cognitive capacity and task difficulty when evaluating motivation and reward sensitivity and illustrate the utility of pupillary responses as an objective measure of effort in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W Bismark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA; VA San Diego Healthcare System, USA
| | - Tanya Mikhael
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, USA; Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, USA
| | - Kyle Mitchell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, USA
| | - Jason Holden
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - Eric Granholm
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA; VA San Diego Healthcare System, USA.
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2
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Carruzzo F, Kaliuzhna M, Kuenzi N, Geffen T, Katthagen T, Schlagenhauf F, Kaiser S. Striatal Response to Reward Anticipation as a Biomarker for Schizophrenia and Negative Symptoms: Effects, Test-Retest Reliability, and Stability Across Sites. Schizophr Bull 2024:sbae046. [PMID: 38641344 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ventral striatal hypoactivation during reward anticipation has consistently been observed in patients with schizophrenia. In addition, that hypoactivation has been shown to correlate negatively with negative symptoms, and in particular with apathy. However, little is known about the stability of these results over time and their reliability across different centers. METHODS In total, 67 patients with schizophrenia (15 females) and 55 healthy controls (13 females) were recruited in 2 centers in Switzerland and Germany. To assess the neural bases of reward anticipation, all participants performed a variant of the Monetary Incentive Delay task while undergoing event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and after 3 months. Stability over time was measured using intra-class correlation (ICC(A,1)) and stability between centers was measured with mixed models. RESULTS Results showed the expected ventral striatal hypoactivation in patients compared to controls during reward anticipation. We showed that these results were stable across centers. The primary analysis did not reveal an effect of time. Test-retest reliability was moderate for controls, and poor for patients. We did not find an association between ventral striatal hypoactivation and negative symptoms in patients. CONCLUSIONS Our results align with the hypothesis that ventral striatal activation is related to modulation of motivational saliency during reward anticipation. They also confirm that patients with schizophrenia show impaired reward anticipation. However, the poor test-retest reliability and the absence of an association with symptoms suggests that further research is needed before ventral striatal activity can be used as a biomarker on the individual patient level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Carruzzo
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical and Experimental Psychopathology Laboratory, University Hospital Geneva, Thônex, Switzerland
| | - Mariia Kaliuzhna
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical and Experimental Psychopathology Laboratory, University Hospital Geneva, Thônex, Switzerland
| | - Noémie Kuenzi
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical and Experimental Psychopathology Laboratory, University Hospital Geneva, Thônex, Switzerland
| | - Tal Geffen
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Teresa Katthagen
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Schlagenhauf
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Kaiser
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical and Experimental Psychopathology Laboratory, University Hospital Geneva, Thônex, Switzerland
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3
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Wolpe N, Holton R, Fletcher PC. What Is Mental Effort: A Clinical Perspective. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)00065-9. [PMID: 38309319 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Although mental effort is a frequently used term, it is poorly defined and understood. Consequently, its usage is frequently loose and potentially misleading. In neuroscience research, the term is used to mean both the cognitive work that is done to meet task demands and the subjective experience of performing that work. We argue that conflating these two meanings hampers progress in understanding cognitive impairments in neuropsychiatric conditions because cognitive work and the subjective experience of it have distinct underlying mechanisms. We suggest that the most coherent and clinically useful perspective on mental effort is that it is a subjective experience. This makes a clear distinction between cognitive impairments that arise from changes in the cognitive apparatus, as in dementia and brain injury, and those that arise from subjective difficulties in carrying out the cognitive work, as in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, and other motivational disorders. We review recent advances in neuroscience research that suggests that the experience of effort has emerged to control task switches so as to minimize costs relative to benefits. We consider how these advances can contribute to our understanding of the experience of increased effort perception in clinical populations. This more specific framing of mental effort will offer a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of cognitive impairments in differing clinical groups and will ultimately facilitate better therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noham Wolpe
- Department of Physical Therapy, The Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Richard Holton
- Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Paul C Fletcher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough National Health Service Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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4
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Akgül Ö, Fide E, Özel F, Alptekin K, Bora E, Akdede BB, Yener G. Reduced Reward Processing in Schizophrenia: A Comprehensive EEG Event-Related Oscillation Study. Brain Topogr 2024; 37:126-137. [PMID: 38078985 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-01021-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
It is well known that abnormal reward processing is a characteristic feature of various psychopathologies including schizophrenia (SZ). Reduced reward anticipation has been suggested as a core symptom of SZ. The present study aims to evaluate the event-related oscillations (EROs) delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma in patients with SZ during the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task, which elicits the neural activity of reward processing. Twenty-one patients with SZ and twenty-two demographically matched healthy controls were included in the study. EROs were compared between groups and correlation analyses were conducted to determine a possible relationship between clinical scores and ERO values. Compared with healthy controls, the SZ group had reduced (1) delta and theta amplitudes in the reward condition (2) total beta and non-incentive cue-related beta amplitudes, and (3) incentive cue-related frontal gamma amplitudes. These reductions can be interpreted as impaired dopaminergic neurotransmission and disrupted cognitive functioning in the reward processing of SZ. In contrast, SZ patients showed higher incentive cue-related theta and occipital gamma amplitudes compared to controls. These increments may reflect negative symptoms in SZ. Moreover, theta amplitudes showed a negative correlation with Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia scores and a positive correlation with attentional impulsivity. This is the first study showing the impairments of SZ patients in EROs from delta to gamma frequency bands compared with healthy controls during reward anticipation. Being the first comprehensive study, our results can be interpreted as providing evidence for disrupted brain dynamics in the reward processing of SZ studied by EROs. It may become possible to help patients' wellness by improving our understanding of reward processing in schizophrenia and developing innovative rehabilitation treatments based on these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özge Akgül
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, İzmir Democracy University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ezgi Fide
- Department of Neurosciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Fatih Özel
- Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Köksal Alptekin
- Department of Neurosciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Emre Bora
- Department of Neurosciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Berna Binnur Akdede
- Department of Neurosciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Görsev Yener
- Department of Neurosciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey.
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Izmir, Turkey.
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Jiang H, Zheng Y. Dissociable neural after-effects of cognitive and physical effort expenditure during reward evaluation. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1500-1512. [PMID: 37821754 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01131-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The reward after-effect of effort expenditure refers to the phenomenon that previous effort investment changes the subjective value of rewards when obtained. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the after-effects of effort exertion are still not fully understood. We investigated the modulation of reward after-effects by effort type (cognitive vs. physical) through the lens of neural dynamics. Thirty-two participants performed a physically or cognitively demanding task during an effort phase and then played a simple gambling game during a subsequent reward phase to earn monetary rewards while their electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. We found that previous effort expenditure decreased electrocortical activity during feedback evaluation. Importantly, this effort effect occurred in a domain-general manner during the early stage (as indexed by the reward positivity) but in a domain-specific manner during the later and more elaborative stage (as indexed by the P3 and delta oscillation) of reward evaluation. Additionally, effort expenditure enhanced P3 sensitivity to feedback valence regardless of effort type. Our findings suggest that cognitive and physical effort, although bearing some surface resemblance to each other, may have dissociable neural influences on the reward after-effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiping Jiang
- Department of Psychology, Guangzhou University, 230 Wai Huan Xi Road, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, 510006, China
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Ya Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Guangzhou University, 230 Wai Huan Xi Road, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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6
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Luther L, Westbrook A, Ayawvi G, Ruiz I, Raugh IM, Chu AOK, Chang WC, Strauss GP. The role of defeatist performance beliefs on cognitive effort-cost decision-making in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2023; 261:216-224. [PMID: 37801740 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in effort-cost decision-making have been consistently observed in people with schizophrenia (SZ) and may be an important mechanism of negative symptoms. However, the processes that give rise to impairments in effort-cost decision-making are unclear, leading to limited progress in identifying the most relevant treatment targets. Drawing from cognitive models of negative symptoms and goal-directed behavior, this study aimed to examine how and under what type of task conditions defeatist performance beliefs contribute to these decision-making processes. Outpatients with SZ (n = 30) and healthy controls (CN; n = 28) completed a cognitive effort allocation task, the Cognitive Effort-Discounting (COGED) task, which assesses participants' willingness to exert cognitive effort for monetary rewards based on parametrically varied working memory demands (completing N-back levels). Results showed that although participants with SZ demonstrated reduced willingness to work for rewards across N-back levels compared to CN participants, they showed less choice modulation across different N-back conditions. However, among SZ participants with greater defeatist performance beliefs, there was a reduced willingness to choose the high effort option at higher N-back levels (N-back levels 3, 4, and 5 versus 2-back). Results suggest that compared to CN, the SZ group's subjective willingness to expend effort largely did not dynamically adjust as cognitive load increased. However, defeatist beliefs may undermine willingness to expend cognitive effort, especially when cognitive task demands are high. These beliefs may be a viable treatment target to improve effort-cost decision-making impairments in people with SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Luther
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | | | - Gifty Ayawvi
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Ivan Ruiz
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Ian M Raugh
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Angel On Ki Chu
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Wing Chung Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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7
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Social motivation, defined as the fundamental human desire to seek out, engage in, and maintain interpersonal bonds, has become a growing area of research in schizophrenia. The major focus has been on understanding the impact of social reward-related processes. An obvious but rarely acknowledged fact is that social interactions, much like other goal-directed acts, require the exertion of effort. In this Review Article, we argue that social motivation in schizophrenia can be conceptualized through the lens of an established framework: effort-based decision-making (EBDM). STUDY DESIGN We conducted a literature review on social reward processing in schizophrenia, then extended these findings by applying concepts and insights from the literature on EBDM to the study of social motivation. STUDY RESULTS Within the EBDM framework, decisions about whether or not to pursue social interactions are bound by cost/benefit calculations. That is, people do not pursue social behaviors when the estimated "cost" of the required effort outweighs the anticipated "benefit" or reward. We propose that people with schizophrenia are less likely to engage in social interaction compared with healthy samples because they: (1) underestimate the benefits of relationships (based on expectations of reward/punishment), (2) overestimate the effort costs associated with social interaction, and/or (3) fail to integrate cost-benefit information in an optimal manner. CONCLUSIONS EBDM is an especially promising framework of social motivation that goes beyond the current focus on social reward processing to include a focus on effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren T Catalano
- Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael F Green
- Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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8
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Wong DFK, Cheung YCH, Zhuang X, Ng YNP, Oades LG, Ye SS. Towards an integrative hope-dysfunctional beliefs perspective to personal recovery in schizophrenia: a path analysis. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:651. [PMID: 37667278 PMCID: PMC10478494 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05135-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence shows that negative symptoms of schizophrenia and underlying dysfunctional cognition are related to persistently low functioning and quality of life. However, despite the abundance of existing recovery programs for people with schizophrenia, few have examined whether and how the widely-adopted hope-motivation recovery pathway and the deficit-oriented cognitive pathway might converge to influence functioning and quality of life. METHODS A cross-sectional, quantative survey recruited a convenient sample of adult outpatients with DSM-5 schizophrenia spectrum disorders and low social functioning (n = 124). Self-reported measurements included personal recovery (30-item Mental Health Recovery Measure), social functioning (8-item Social Functioning Questionnaire), hope (12-item Hope Scale), quality of life (28-item World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Abbreviated Version-Hong Kong), defeatist beliefs (15-item extracted from Dysfunctional Attitude Scale), and asocial beliefs (15-item extracted from Revised Social Anhedonia Scale). Correlation analysis and structural equation modelling was applied to investigate how the two pathways intertwined to predict social functioning and quality of life. RESULTS Asocial beliefs and hope separately mediated two partial mediation pathways from defeatist beliefs to recovery outcomes (social functioning and personal recovery). Meanwhile, defeatist beliefs, social functioning, and personal recovery further predicted quality of life. CONCLUSIONS This is one of the very few studies that provides empirical evidence of a deficit-strength linkage in the recovery from schizophrenia. Remediation of dysfunctional beliefs and the injection of hope and successful experiences should be undertaken concurrently in recovery as they are associated with differential effects on enhancing social functioning and personal recovery, which then converge and contribute to a better quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Fu Keung Wong
- Department of Social Work, Baptist University of Hong Kong, AAB1035, 10/F, Academic and Administration Building, 15 Baptist University Road, Baptist University Road Campus, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Yves Cho Ho Cheung
- Department of Social Work, Baptist University of Hong Kong, AAB1035, 10/F, Academic and Administration Building, 15 Baptist University Road, Baptist University Road Campus, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.
| | - Xiaoyu Zhuang
- Sociology Research Center, School of Humanities, Jinan University, 601, Huangpu Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Yat-Nan Petrus Ng
- Department of Social Work, Baptist University of Hong Kong, AAB1035, 10/F, Academic and Administration Building, 15 Baptist University Road, Baptist University Road Campus, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Lindsey G Oades
- Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Shengquan Sam Ye
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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9
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Culbreth AJ, Dershwitz SD, Barch DM, Moran EK. Associations Between Cognitive and Physical Effort-Based Decision Making in People With Schizophrenia and Healthy Control Subjects. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:695-702. [PMID: 36796513 PMCID: PMC10330111 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effort can take a variety of forms including physical (e.g., button pressing) and cognitive (e.g., working memory tasks). Few studies have examined whether individual differences in willingness to expend effort are similar or different across modalities. METHODS We recruited 30 individuals with schizophrenia and 44 healthy control subjects to complete 2 effort-cost decision-making tasks: the Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task (physical effort) and the cognitive effort discounting task (cognitive effort). RESULTS Willingness to expend cognitive and physical effort was positively associated for both individuals with schizophrenia and control subjects. Further, we found that individual differences in motivation and pleasure dimension of negative symptoms modulated the association between physical and cognitive effort. Specifically, participants with lower motivation and pleasure scores, irrespective of group status, showed stronger associations between task measures of cognitive and physical effort-cost decision making. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest a generalized deficit across effort modalities in individuals with schizophrenia. Further, reductions in motivation and pleasure may impact effort-cost decision making in a domain-general manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Culbreth
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
| | - Sally D Dershwitz
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Radiology, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Erin K Moran
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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Purcell JR, Brown JW, Tullar RL, Bloomer BF, Kim DJ, Moussa-Tooks AB, Dolan-Bennett K, Bangert BM, Wisner KM, Lundin NB, O'Donnell BF, Hetrick WP. Insular and Striatal Correlates of Uncertain Risky Reward Pursuit in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:726-737. [PMID: 36869757 PMCID: PMC10154703 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Risk-taking in specific contexts can be beneficial, leading to rewarding outcomes. Schizophrenia is associated with disadvantageous decision-making, as subjects pursue uncertain risky rewards less than controls. However, it is unclear whether this behavior is associated with more risk sensitivity or less reward incentivization. Matching on demographics and intelligence quotient (IQ), we determined whether risk-taking was more associated with brain activation in regions affiliated with risk evaluation or reward processing. STUDY DESIGN Subjects (30 schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, 30 controls) completed a modified, fMRI Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Brain activation was modeled during decisions to pursue risky rewards and parametrically modeled according to risk level. STUDY RESULTS The schizophrenia group exhibited less risky-reward pursuit despite previous adverse outcomes (Average Explosions; F(1,59) = 4.06, P = .048) but the comparable point at which risk-taking was volitionally discontinued (Adjusted Pumps; F(1,59) = 2.65, P = .11). Less activation was found in schizophrenia via whole brain and region of interest (ROI) analyses in the right (F(1,59) = 14.91, P < 0.001) and left (F(1,59) = 16.34, P < 0.001) nucleus accumbens (NAcc) during decisions to pursue rewards relative to riskiness. Risk-taking correlated with IQ in schizophrenia, but not controls. Path analyses of average ROI activation revealed less statistically determined influence of anterior insula upon dorsal anterior cingulate bilaterally (left: χ2 = 12.73, P < .001; right: χ2 = 9.54, P = .002) during risky reward pursuit in schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS NAcc activation in schizophrenia varied less according to the relative riskiness of uncertain rewards compared to controls, suggesting aberrations in reward processing. The lack of activation differences in other regions suggests similar risk evaluation. Less insular influence on the anterior cingulate may relate to attenuated salience attribution or inability for risk-related brain region collaboration to sufficiently perceive situational risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Purcell
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Joshua W Brown
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Rachel L Tullar
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Bess F Bloomer
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Dae-Jin Kim
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Alexandra B Moussa-Tooks
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Katherine Dolan-Bennett
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Science, Washington University, St. Louise, MO, USA
| | - Brianna M Bangert
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Krista M Wisner
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Nancy B Lundin
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Brian F O'Donnell
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - William P Hetrick
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Schormann ALA, Pillny M, Haß K, Lincoln TM. "Goals in Focus"-a targeted CBT approach for motivational negative symptoms of psychosis: study protocol for a randomized-controlled feasibility trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2023; 9:72. [PMID: 37131247 PMCID: PMC10152726 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-023-01284-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The reduction of goal-directed behavior is the main characteristic in motivational negative symptoms of psychosis as it accounts for the long-term decline in psychological well-being and psychosocial functioning. However, the available treatment options are largely unspecific and show only small effects on motivational negative symptoms. Interventions that directly target the relevant psychological mechanisms are likely to be more effective. For "Goals in Focus", we translated findings from basic clinical research on mechanisms underlying motivational negative symptoms into a tailored and comprehensive novel psychological outpatient treatment program. With this study, we will test the feasibility of the therapy manual and the trial procedures. We also aim to examine first estimates of the effect size that can be expected from "Goals in Focus" to inform the sample size calculation of a subsequent fully powered trial. METHODS Thirty participants diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder and at least moderate motivational negative symptoms will be randomly assigned to either 24 sessions of "Goals in Focus" over the course of 6 months (n = 15) or to a 6-month wait-list control group (n = 15). Single-blind assessments will be conducted at baseline (t0) and 6 months after baseline completion (t1). Feasibility outcomes include patient recruitment, retention, and attendance rates. Acceptability will be rated by trial therapists and by participants at end of treatment. Primary outcome for effect size estimation is the motivational negative symptom subscale sum score of the Brief Negative Symptom Scale at t1 corrected for baseline values. Secondary outcomes include psychosocial functioning, psychological well-being, depressive symptoms, expressive negative symptoms, negative symptom factor scores, and goal pursuit in everyday life. DISCUSSION The feasibility and acceptability data will be used to improve trial procedures and the "Goals in Focus" intervention where necessary. The treatment effect on the primary outcome will provide the basis for the sample size calculation for a fully powered RCT. TRIAL REGISTRATION 1) ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05252039 . Registered on 23 February 2022. 2) Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien, DRKS00018083 . Registered on 28 August 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa L A Schormann
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Matthias Pillny
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Haß
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tania M Lincoln
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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12
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James SH, Berglund A, Chang WC, Strauss GP. Discrepancies between ideal and actual affect in schizophrenia: Implications for understanding negative symptoms. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 155:313-319. [PMID: 36174366 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Anhedonia is a core symptom of schizophrenia (SZ). However, psychological mechanisms underlying anhedonia are unclear, making it difficult to develop personalized psychosocial treatments. The current study explored the novel hypothesis that anhedonia is driven by discrepancies between ideal and actual affect (i.e., how positive or negative someone wants to feel compared to how they do feel), which impact the frequency of recreational, goal-directed, and social behaviors. Participants included 32 outpatients with SZ and 29 healthy controls (CN) who completed the Affect Valuation Index and measures of negative symptom severity. Results indicated that individuals with SZ displayed greater positive and negative emotion discrepancy scores than CN, suggesting that they strongly desire to feel more positive and less negative in the future than they actually do. Additionally, greater ideal relative to actual positive and negative affect was associated with greater severity of anhedonia, avolition, and asociality. The discrepancy between ideal and actual affective states may be demotivating, leading individuals with SZ to develop dysfunctional beliefs after repeated experiences of failing to achieve their desired emotional goal state. These findings suggest that ideal affect may be a novel psychological mechanism underlying negative symptoms that could be targeted in psychosocial treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney H James
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Alysia Berglund
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Wing Chung Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
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13
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Arnovitz MD, Spitzberg AJ, Davani AJ, Vadhan NP, Holland J, Kane JM, Michaels TI. MDMA for the Treatment of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11123255. [PMID: 35743326 PMCID: PMC9225098 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11123255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The profound economic burden of schizophrenia is due, in part, to the negative symptoms of the disease, which can severely limit daily functioning. There is much debate in the field regarding their measurement and classification and there are no FDA-approved treatments for negative symptoms despite an abundance of research. 3,4-Methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) is a schedule I substance that has emerged as a novel therapeutic given its ability to enhance social interactions, generate empathy, and induce a state of metaplasticity in the brain. This review provides a rationale for the use of MDMA in the treatment of negative symptoms by reviewing the literature on negative symptoms, their treatment, MDMA, and MDMA-assisted therapy. It reviews recent evidence that supports the safe and potentially effective use of MDMA to treat negative symptoms and concludes with considerations regarding safety and possible mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell D. Arnovitz
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Andrew J. Spitzberg
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Ashkhan J. Davani
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Nehal P. Vadhan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
- Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA
| | | | - John M. Kane
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
- Institute of Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA
| | - Timothy I. Michaels
- Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Queens, NY 11004, USA; (M.D.A.); (A.J.S.); (A.J.D.); (N.P.V.); (J.M.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry, The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
- Correspondence:
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14
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Décombe A, Brinkmann K, Merenciano M, Capdevielle D, Gendolla GHE, Raffard S. Cognitive effort in Schizophrenia: Dissimilar effects on cardiovascular activity and subjective effort. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03145-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Abram SV, Weittenhiller LP, Bertrand CE, McQuaid JR, Mathalon DH, Ford JM, Fryer SL. Psychological Dimensions Relevant to Motivation and Pleasure in Schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:827260. [PMID: 35401135 PMCID: PMC8985863 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.827260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Motivation and pleasure deficits are common in schizophrenia, strongly linked with poorer functioning, and may reflect underlying alterations in brain functions governing reward processing and goal pursuit. While there is extensive research examining cognitive and reward mechanisms related to these deficits in schizophrenia, less attention has been paid to psychological characteristics that contribute to resilience against, or risk for, motivation and pleasure impairment. For example, psychological tendencies involving positive future expectancies (e.g., optimism) and effective affect management (e.g., reappraisal, mindfulness) are associated with aspects of reward anticipation and evaluation that optimally guide goal-directed behavior. Conversely, maladaptive thinking patterns (e.g., defeatist performance beliefs, asocial beliefs) and tendencies that amplify negative cognitions (e.g., rumination), may divert cognitive resources away from goal pursuit or reduce willingness to exert effort. Additionally, aspects of sociality, including the propensity to experience social connection as positive reinforcement may be particularly relevant for pursuing social goals. In the current review, we discuss the roles of several psychological characteristics with respect to motivation and pleasure in schizophrenia. We argue that individual variation in these psychological dimensions is relevant to the study of motivation and reward processing in schizophrenia, including interactions between these psychological dimensions and more well-characterized cognitive and reward processing contributors to motivation. We close by emphasizing the value of considering a broad set of modulating factors when studying motivation and pleasure functions in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha V. Abram
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | - Claire E. Bertrand
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - John R. McQuaid
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Daniel H. Mathalon
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Judith M. Ford
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Susanna L. Fryer
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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16
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Purcell JR, Herms EN, Morales J, Hetrick WP, Wisner KM, Brown JW. A review of risky decision-making in psychosis-spectrum disorders. Clin Psychol Rev 2022; 91:102112. [PMID: 34990988 PMCID: PMC8754677 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The investigation of risky decision-making has a prominent place in clinical science, with sundry behavioral tasks aimed at empirically quantifying the psychological construct of risk-taking. However, use of differing behavioral tasks has resulted in lack of agreement on risky decision-making within psychosis-spectrum disorders, as findings fail to converge upon the typical, binary conceptualization of increased risk-seeking or risk-aversion. The current review synthesizes the behavioral, risky decision-making literature to elucidate how specific task parameters may contribute to differences in task performance, and their associations with psychosis symptomatology and cognitive functioning. A paring of the literature suggests that: 1) Explicit risk-taking may be characterized by risk imperception, evidenced by less discrimination between choices of varying degrees of risk, potentially secondary to cognitive deficits. 2) Ambiguous risk-taking findings are inconclusive with few published studies. 3) Uncertain risk-taking findings, consistently interpreted as more risk-averse, have not parsed risk attitudes from confounding processes that may impact decision-making (e.g. risk imperception, reward processing, motivation). Thus, overgeneralized interpretations of task-specific risk-seeking/aversion should be curtailed, as they may fail to appropriately characterize decision-making phenomena. Future research in psychosis-spectrum disorders would benefit from empirically isolating contributions of specific processes during risky decision-making, including the newly hypothesized risk imperception.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Purcell
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, USA; Indiana University, Program in Neuroscience, USA.
| | - Emma N Herms
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, USA
| | - Jaime Morales
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, USA; Indiana University, Program in Neuroscience, USA
| | - William P Hetrick
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, USA; Indiana University, Program in Neuroscience, USA
| | - Krista M Wisner
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, USA; Indiana University, Program in Neuroscience, USA
| | - Joshua W Brown
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, USA; Indiana University, Program in Neuroscience, USA
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17
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Renz KE, Pillny M, Lincoln TM. Increasing motivation in effort-based decision-making tasks: effects of salience and reward expectancy manipulations. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2022; 27:20-34. [PMID: 34812121 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2021.2007068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A significant proportion of patients with affective and psychotic disorders show a marked reduction in goal-directed behaviour, which is also reflected in the behavioural outcomes of effort-based decision-making paradigms. The factors underlying this reduction are not yet fully understood. Reward salience and reward expectancy have been discussed as factors that potentially influence approach behaviour. The aim of this study was thus to test their effects on behaviour in an effort-based decision-making paradigm. METHODS In two studies with community samples we applied a modified version of the Balloon Task. In study 1, we manipulated reward salience in a within-subject design (N = 32) by highlighting the monetary rewards. In study 2, we manipulated reward expectancy in a between-subject design (N = 72) by adding five practice trials with either positive or negative feedback prior to the task. RESULTS The salience of rewards manipulation significantly increased effort expenditure and the allocation of effort to the level of rewards whereas the reward expectancy manipulation did not. CONCLUSIONS The finding that increasing the salience of rewards increases motivated behaviour in an effort-based decision-making paradigm offers promising possibilities for intervention in disorders characterised by motivational deficits, such asaffective and psychotic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina E Renz
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Pillny
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tania M Lincoln
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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18
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Saleh Y, Jarratt-Barnham I, Fernandez-Egea E, Husain M. Mechanisms Underlying Motivational Dysfunction in Schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:709753. [PMID: 34566594 PMCID: PMC8460905 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.709753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Negative symptoms are a debilitating feature of schizophrenia which are often resistant to pharmacological intervention. The mechanisms underlying them remain poorly understood, and diagnostic methods rely on phenotyping through validated questionnaires. Deeper endo-phenotyping is likely to be necessary in order to improve current understanding. In the last decade, valuable behavioural insights have been gained through the use of effort-based decision making (EBDM) tasks. These have highlighted impairments in reward-related processing in schizophrenia, particularly associated with negative symptom severity. Neuroimaging investigations have related these changes to dysfunction within specific brain networks including the ventral striatum (VS) and frontal brain regions. Here, we review the behavioural and neural evidence associated with negative symptoms, shedding light on potential underlying mechanisms and future therapeutic possibilities. Findings in the literature suggest that schizophrenia is characterised by impaired reward based learning and action selection, despite preserved hedonic responses. Associations between amotivation and reward-processing deficits have not always been clear, and may be mediated by factors including cognitive dysfunction or dysfunctional or self-defeatist beliefs. Successful endo-phenotyping of negative symptoms as a function of objective behavioural and neural measurements is crucial in advancing our understanding of this complex syndrome. Additionally, transdiagnostic research–leveraging findings from other brain disorders, including neurological ones–can shed valuable light on the possible common origins of motivation disorders across diseases and has important implications for future treatment development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youssuf Saleh
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Isaac Jarratt-Barnham
- Department of Psychiatry, Herchel Smith Building for Brain & Mind Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Cambridge Psychosis Centre, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emilio Fernandez-Egea
- Department of Psychiatry, Herchel Smith Building for Brain & Mind Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Cambridge Psychosis Centre, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Masud Husain
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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19
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Clay KB, Raugh IM, Bartolomeo LA, Strauss GP. Defeatist performance beliefs in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis and outpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Early Interv Psychiatry 2021; 15:865-873. [PMID: 32743974 DOI: 10.1111/eip.13024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
AIM Prior studies indicate that defeatist performance beliefs (DPBs) are elevated in those in the chronic phase of schizophrenia (SZ) and associated with negative symptoms, functional outcome and neurocognitive impairment. However, it is unclear whether these same patterns of results hold in participants at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis. METHODS Two studies were conducted to determine whether prior results in SZ could be replicated and extended to CHR. Participants included 184 healthy controls (CN) and 186 outpatients with chronic SZ for Study 1, and 30 CN and 35 CHR in Study 2. In both studies, participants completed the DPB scale and measures of negative symptoms, psychosocial functioning and neurocognition. RESULTS Both chronic SZ and CHR participants had elevated DPBs compared to CN (p's < .01). In SZ, higher DPBs were associated with greater negative symptoms (r's = .31-.37, p's < .01), poorer social functioning and impaired social cognition (r = -.40, P < .001). In CHR, greater DPBs were associated with poorer social functioning (r = -.52, P < .05) and impairments in the neurocognitive domains of reasoning (r = -.48, P < .05) and processing speed (r = -.41, P < .05). Models testing whether DPBs mediated links between negative symptoms and functioning, negative symptoms and cognition and cognition and functioning were nonsignificant in SZ and CHR samples. CONCLUSIONS Findings generally provide support for the cognitive model of negative symptoms and functioning and suggest that DPBs are an important clinical target across phases of psychotic illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall B Clay
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Ian M Raugh
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Lisa A Bartolomeo
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Gregory P Strauss
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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20
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Nemoto T, Uchino T, Aikawa S, Matsuo S, Mamiya N, Shibasaki Y, Wada Y, Yamaguchi T, Katagiri N, Tsujino N, Usami T, Mizuno M. Impact of changes in social anxiety on social functioning and quality of life in outpatients with schizophrenia: A naturalistic longitudinal study. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 131:15-21. [PMID: 32911206 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of comorbid social anxiety disorder among patients with schizophrenia is currently attracting attention, and symptoms of social anxiety are reportedly associated with various clinical features. However, the contribution of social anxiety to social functioning and quality of life (QOL) over time remains obscure. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of changes in social anxiety symptoms on social functioning and QOL among outpatients with schizophrenia. Of the 207 outpatients who were eligible at baseline, 118 patients agreed with and completed a follow-up investigation at least 1 year (695.8 days on average) after the baseline study. Stepwise multiple regressions examining the change in social functioning using demographic data and changes in clinical variables as explanatory variables demonstrated that the changes in social anxiety and general psychopathology contributed to the change in the Social Functioning Scale, while the changes in clinical severity and negative symptoms contributed to the change in the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. Stepwise multiple regressions for the change in QOL demonstrated that the changes in social anxiety and depression contributed to the change in the World Health Organization QOL scale, Brief version, and the changes in social anxiety and positive symptoms contributed to the Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic Drug Treatment, Short Form. The results revealed that the changes in social anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with the change in functional outcome among patients with schizophrenia. Treatments targeting social anxiety seem to be key to achieving a full recovery in patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Nemoto
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Takashi Uchino
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sayaka Aikawa
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Matsuo
- Medical Affairs, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Mamiya
- Medical Affairs, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Yo Wada
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taiju Yamaguchi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Katagiri
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naohisa Tsujino
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Usami
- Medical Affairs, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masafumi Mizuno
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Chang WC, Westbrook A, Strauss GP, Chu AOK, Chong CSY, Siu CMW, Chan SKW, Lee EHM, Hui CLM, Suen YM, Lo TL, Chen EYH. Abnormal cognitive effort allocation and its association with amotivation in first-episode psychosis. Psychol Med 2020; 50:2599-2609. [PMID: 31576787 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719002769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abnormal effort-based decision-making represents a potential mechanism underlying motivational deficits (amotivation) in psychotic disorders. Previous research identified effort allocation impairment in chronic schizophrenia and focused mostly on physical effort modality. No study has investigated cognitive effort allocation in first-episode psychosis (FEP). METHOD Cognitive effort allocation was examined in 40 FEP patients and 44 demographically-matched healthy controls, using Cognitive Effort-Discounting (COGED) paradigm which quantified participants' willingness to expend cognitive effort in terms of explicit, continuous discounting of monetary rewards based on parametrically-varied cognitive demands (levels N of N-back task). Relationship between reward-discounting and amotivation was investigated. Group differences in reward-magnitude and effort-cost sensitivity, and differential associations of these sensitivity indices with amotivation were explored. RESULTS Patients displayed significantly greater reward-discounting than controls. In particular, such discounting was most pronounced in patients with high levels of amotivation even when N-back performance and reward base amount were taken into consideration. Moreover, patients exhibited reduced reward-benefit sensitivity and effort-cost sensitivity relative to controls, and that decreased sensitivity to reward-benefit but not effort-cost was correlated with diminished motivation. Reward-discounting and sensitivity indices were generally unrelated to other symptom dimensions, antipsychotic dose and cognitive deficits. CONCLUSION This study provides the first evidence of cognitive effort-based decision-making impairment in FEP, and indicates that decreased effort expenditure is associated with amotivation. Our findings further suggest that abnormal effort allocation and amotivation might primarily be related to blunted reward valuation. Prospective research is required to clarify the utility of effort-based measures in predicting amotivation and functional outcome in FEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- W C Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - A Westbrook
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525 EN, The Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistics, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02906, USA
| | - G P Strauss
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA30602, USA
| | - A O K Chu
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - C S Y Chong
- Department of Psychiatry, Kwai Chung Hospital, Hong Kong
| | - C M W Siu
- Department of Psychiatry, Kwai Chung Hospital, Hong Kong
| | - S K W Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - E H M Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - C L M Hui
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Y M Suen
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - T L Lo
- Department of Psychiatry, Kwai Chung Hospital, Hong Kong
| | - E Y H Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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22
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Pillny M, Schlier B, Lincoln TM. "I just don't look forward to anything". How anticipatory pleasure and negative beliefs contribute to goal-directed activity in patients with negative symptoms of psychosis. Schizophr Res 2020; 222:429-436. [PMID: 32389616 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.03.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Anticipatory pleasure refers to a state of positive affect in anticipation of future events that has been found to motivate goal-directed behavior. Previous research has indicated that patients with negative symptoms of psychosis show reduced goal-directed behavior because 'demotivating beliefs' impede anticipatory pleasure. This study aims to link demotivating beliefs and anticipatory pleasure to patients' motivation in everyday life. Using the Experience Sampling Method, we examined the motivational process of goal-directed activity in the daily lives of 35 patients with negative symptoms and 36 healthy controls. We tested whether the mechanism underlying goal-directed behavior differs between patients and healthy controls and whether demotivating beliefs interfere with goal-directed behavior by impeding anticipatory pleasure. Multilevel analyses revealed that anticipatory pleasure mediated the association between goal-intentions and goal-directed activity in both groups (indirect effects: 24-30%). In the patient group, however, the association between social goal-intentions and anticipatory pleasure was weaker (b = -0.09, SE = 0.05, p ≤ .01, [-0.17;-0.04]) than in the controls, but this was not found for goal-intentions related self-care or recreational activites. Also, demotivating beliefs were more pronounced in the patient sample. (F(1,70) = 72.11, p ≤ .001) and moderated the effect of goal-intentions on anticipatory pleasure for social activities in the whole sample (b = -0.12, SE = 0.05, p ≤ .01, [-0.20;-0.08]). Our results support the assumption that a set of demotivating beliefs prevents patients with negative symptoms from looking forward to social activities and thus provide a possible psychological explanation for the social withdrawal of patients with negative symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Pillny
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany..
| | - Björn Schlier
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tania M Lincoln
- Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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23
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Kreis I, Moritz S, Pfuhl G. Objective Versus Subjective Effort in Schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1469. [PMID: 32742265 PMCID: PMC7365134 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objectives Performance on cognitive tasks is often impaired in individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ), possibly resulting from either cognitive deficits (e.g., limited working memory capacity) or diminished mental effort or both. Investment of mental effort itself can be affected by cognitive resources, task load, and motivational factors and has thus proven difficult to measure. Pupil dilation during task performance has been proposed as an objective measure, but it remains unclear to what extent this converges with self-reports of perceived task demands, motivation, and invested effort. The current study tried to elucidate this question. Methods A visual version of the digit span task was administered in a sample of 29 individuals with a diagnosis from the SCZ spectrum and 30 individuals without any psychiatric disorder. Pupil size was recorded during the task, whereas self-reported invested effort and task demand were measured afterward. Results No group difference was found for working memory capacity, but individuals with SCZ showed diminished trial-by-trial recall accuracy, showed reduced pupil dilation across all task load conditions, and reported higher perceived task demands. Conclusion Results indicate reduced effort investment in patients with SCZ, but it remains unclear to what extent this alone could explain the lower recall performance. The lack of a direct link between objective and subjective measures of effort further suggests that both may assess different facets of effort. This has important implications for clinical and research settings that rely on the reliability of neuropsychological test results when assessing cognitive capacity in this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Kreis
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gerit Pfuhl
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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24
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Culbreth AJ, Moran EK, Kandala S, Westbrook A, Barch DM. Effort, avolition and motivational experience in schizophrenia: Analysis of behavioral and neuroimaging data with relationships to daily motivational experience. Clin Psychol Sci 2020; 8:555-568. [PMID: 33758684 PMCID: PMC7983405 DOI: 10.1177/2167702620901558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent research suggests that schizophrenia is associated with reduced effort allocation. We examined willingness to expend effort, neural correlates of effort allocation, and the relationship of effort to daily motivational experience in schizophrenia. We recruited 28 individuals with schizophrenia and 30 controls to perform an effort task during fMRI. Individuals with schizophrenia also completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol. Individuals with schizophrenia with high negative symptoms were less willing to expend effort for rewards. Daily EMA assessments of motivation were positively associated with effort allocation at a trend-level. Individuals with schizophrenia and controls displayed similar increases in BOLD activation in frontal, cingulate, parietal, and insular regions during effort-based decision-making. However, negative symptoms were associated with reduced BOLD activation in bilateral ventral striatum. These results replicate previous reports of reduced effort allocation in schizophrenia patients with severe negative symptoms, and provide evidence for the role of ventral striatum in effort impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Culbreth
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Erin K Moran
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Sri Kandala
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Andrew Westbrook
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistics, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
- Department of Radiology, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
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25
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Robison A, Thakkar K, Diwadkar VA. Cognition and Reward Circuits in Schizophrenia: Synergistic, Not Separate. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:204-214. [PMID: 31733788 PMCID: PMC6946864 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia has been studied from the perspective of cognitive or reward-related impairments, yet it cannot be wholly related to one or the other process and their corresponding neural circuits. We posit a comprehensive circuit-based model proposing that dysfunctional interactions between the brain's cognitive and reward circuits underlie schizophrenia. The model is underpinned by how the relationship between glutamatergic and dopaminergic dysfunction in schizophrenia drives interactions between cognition and reward circuits. We argue that this interaction is synergistic: that is, deficits of cognition and reward processing interact, and this interaction is a core feature of schizophrenia. In adopting this position, we undertake a focused review of animal physiology and human clinical data, and in proposing this synergistic model, we highlight dopaminergic afferents from the ventral tegmental area to nucleus accumbens (mesolimbic circuit) and frontal cortex (mesocortical circuit). We then expand on the role of glutamatergic inputs to these dopamine circuits and dopaminergic modulation of critical excitatory pathways with attention given to the role of glutamatergic hippocampal outputs onto nucleus accumbens. Finally, we present evidence for how in schizophrenia, dysfunction in the mesolimbic and mesocortical circuits and their corresponding glutamatergic inputs gives rise to clinical and cognitive phenotypes and is associated with positive and negative symptom dimensions. The synthesis attempted here provides an impetus for a conceptual shift that links cognitive and motivational aspects of schizophrenia and that can lead to treatment approaches that seek to harmonize network interactions between the brain's cognition and reward circuits with ameliorative effects in each behavioral domain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katharine Thakkar
- Dept. of Psychology, Michigan State University,Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Michigan State University
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26
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Clayson PE, Wynn JK, Infantolino ZP, Hajcak G, Green MF, Horan WP. Reward processing in certain versus uncertain contexts in schizophrenia: An event-related potential (ERP) study. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 128:867-880. [PMID: 31657597 PMCID: PMC6822386 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Disturbances in motivation are prominent in the clinical presentation of people with schizophrenia and might reflect a disturbance in reward processing. Recent advances in affective neuroscience have subdivided reward processing into distinct components, but there are two limitations of the prior work in schizophrenia. First, studies typically focus on only one component rather than on the unfolding of reward processing across multiple stages. Second, studies have not considered the impact of certainty effects, which represent an important contextual factor that impacts processing. We examined whether individuals with schizophrenia show the typical certainty effects across three phases of reward processing: cue evaluation, feedback anticipation, and feedback receipt. Electroencephalography from 74 healthy controls and 92 people with schizophrenia was recorded during a cued gambling task under conditions in which cues indicated forthcoming reward outcomes that were certain or uncertain. Controls demonstrated the expected certainty effects across each stage. Initial cue evaluation (cue P300) was intact in the schizophrenia group, but people with schizophrenia showed diminished certainty effects during feedback anticipation (stimulus-preceding negativity [SPN]) and receipt (feedback reward positivity [fRewP] and feedback P300). During feedback receipt, event-related potentials in people with schizophrenia were similar to controls for the uncertain context but larger than controls for the certain context. Essentially, people with schizophrenia appeared to process certain feedback as though it were uncertain. These findings show, for the first time, that the fundamental distinction between certain and uncertain contexts is altered in schizophrenia at a neural level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter E. Clayson
- Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Jonathan K. Wynn
- Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | | | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology and Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
| | - Michael. F. Green
- Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - William P. Horan
- Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
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27
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Luther L, Fischer MW, Firmin RL, Salyers MP. Clarifying the overlap between motivation and negative symptom measures in schizophrenia research: A meta-analysis. Schizophr Res 2019; 206:27-36. [PMID: 30577993 PMCID: PMC6525651 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Motivation and negative symptom research has recently been hampered by a series of inconsistent findings, leading to calls for a greater consensus on the type of measures used across studies. To inform this issue, we conducted a meta-analysis that quantified the association between motivation measures (self-report, performance-based) and clinician-rated negative symptom measures as well as a series of moderator analyses to develop a greater understanding of the measurement factors impacting this relationship. Forty-seven eligible studies with people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were included. Using a random-effects meta-analytic model, a small but significant overall effect size emerged between motivation and clinician-rated negative symptoms (r = -0.18). Several significant moderators were identified, including the generation of negative symptom measures such that there was a significantly stronger relationship between motivation and second-generation (r = -0.38) than first-generation negative symptom measures (r = -0.17). Further, the type of performance-based measure used moderated the relationship, with effort discounting tasks most strongly related to negative symptoms (r = -0.44). The domain of motivation assessed (intrinsic, extrinsic, amotivation) also moderated the relationship. These findings help to identify sources of inconsistencies observed in prior studies and point to both second-generation and effort discounting tasks as the most promising types of measures, particularly for those interested in validating motivation measures or assessing the effectiveness of motivation treatments. Although additional research is needed, our results suggest that using these measures may help to reduce inconsistencies across studies and move the field forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Luther
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Department of Psychology, 402 N. Blackford St., LD 124, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychiatry, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, 279, Chicago, IL 60608, USA.
| | - Melanie W Fischer
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Department of Psychology, 402 N. Blackford St., LD 124, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Ruth L Firmin
- University of California Los Angeles, Semel Institute, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA.
| | - Michelle P Salyers
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Department of Psychology, 402 N. Blackford St., LD 124, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
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28
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Lee J, Jimenez AM, Reavis EA, Horan WP, Wynn JK, Green MF. Reduced Neural Sensitivity to Social vs Nonsocial Reward in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2019; 45:620-628. [PMID: 30189096 PMCID: PMC6483569 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sby109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human beings find social stimuli rewarding, which is thought to facilitate efficient social functioning. Although reward processing has been extensively studied in schizophrenia, a few studies have examined neural processes specifically involved in social reward processing. This study examined neural sensitivity to social and nonsocial rewards in schizophrenia. METHODS Twenty-seven patients with schizophrenia and 25 community controls completed a One-Armed Bandit Task, an implicit reinforcement learning task, in the scanner. There were 2 conditions with an identical trial structure, one with social rewards and the other with nonsocial rewards. The data were analyzed using a region of interest (ROI) approach, focusing on the ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. RESULTS Across all 3 ROIs, patients showed reduced activation for social rewards compared to controls. However, the 2 groups showed comparable levels of activation for nonsocial rewards. Within the patient group, levels of neural activation in these ROIs during the social reward condition were associated with better performance. CONCLUSIONS This study found reduced neural sensitivity in patients with schizophrenia in key reward-processing regions for social but not for nonsocial rewards. These findings suggest a relatively specific social reward-processing deficit in schizophrenia during an implicit reinforcement learning task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junghee Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Room 27-460, Los Angeles, CA 90211, USA; tel: 310-794-9010, fax: 310-268-4056, e-mail:
| | - Amy M Jimenez
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Eric A Reavis
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
| | - William P Horan
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Jonathan K Wynn
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Michael F Green
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
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