• Research Highlight
People with schizophrenia and other disorders with Symptoms of psychosis often have difficulty forming and maintaining social connections. Most research on the social difficulties that are a central feature of psychotic disorders has focused on areas of the brain involved in social processing. The role of brain areas involved in social motivation remains largely unexplored territory.
New research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found a link between a low level of social motivation in people with psychotic disorders and activity in specific regions of the brain, identifying a potential neural marker that could help develop diagnoses or treatments for these disorders. .
How have researchers examined social motivation in people with psychotic disorders?
This study was in line with the principles of the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative. Researchers led by Amy Jiménez, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, and William Horan, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Karuna Therapeutics, set out to uncover the underlying mechanisms that They could explain why many people with psychotic disorders lack motivation to socialize. They examined an aspect of social motivation known as social anhedonia, which is a lack of interest in social connections and reduced enjoyment of social situations.
Participants included 71 adults diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia or depression with psychotic features; 27 of their adult siblings without psychotic symptoms; and 37 unrelated adults without psychotic symptoms.
At the beginning of the study, all participants completed a measure of social anhedonia. They then performed a team task while undergoing an fMRI brain scan. The task was designed to closely model social group dynamics in which a correct answer meant the participant gained a point for her team, while an incorrect answer caused her team to lose a point. Feedback indicating whether their team won or lost each task trial was provided in the form of a happy or angry face from a teammate or opponent.
The researchers measured brain activity while participants received feedback in five brain regions that support the social motivation system:
- ventral striatum
- Orbital frontal cortex
- insula
- Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex
- Amygdala
The researchers examined whether each brain region responded to the type of feedback (winning or losing) and the person giving the feedback (teammate or opponent), whether there was an association between brain activity and social anhedonia, and whether that association differed depending on the group. .
What do the results reveal about social motivation in people with psychotic disorders?
All participants showed greater activity in the ventral striatum, orbital frontal cortex, and amygdala during wins compared to losses, regardless of whether the feedback came from a teammate or an opponent. This finding indicates that people with psychosis, as a group, responded as expected when receiving a reward within a social context.
As expected, people with psychotic disorders reported significantly higher levels of social anhedonia compared to their siblings and controls without psychosis. Furthermore, among those with psychotic disorders, but not their siblings or controls, social disinterest was correlated with brain activity. Specifically, for people with psychotic disorders, lower activity in the ventral striatum and orbital frontal cortex was associated with greater social anhedonia. This finding suggests that reduced activity in specific brain regions during social interactions may contribute to some of the social challenges common among people with psychotic disorders.
This study draws attention to a less explored aspect of how people with schizophrenia and similar disorders experience social interactions. It identifies specific parts of the brain that could play a key role in the social challenges that are a central feature of psychotic disorders. While more research is needed, if replicated, these findings could eventually lead to better diagnosis and treatment for people with these conditions.
Reference
Jiménez, AM, Clayson, PE, Hasratian, AS, Lee, J., Reavis, EA, Wynn, JK, Green, MF, and Horan, WP (2023). Neuroimaging of social motivation during victory and loss: Associations with social anhedonia across the spectrum of psychosis. Neuropsychology, 188Article 108621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108621
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