The impact of subclinical psychotic symptoms on delay and effort discounting: Insights from behavioral, computational, and electrophysiological methods.

Computational modelling Delay discounting Effort discounting Frontal alpha asymmetry Subclinical psychotic symptoms

Journal

Schizophrenia research
ISSN: 1573-2509
Titre abrégé: Schizophr Res
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 8804207

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
27 Jul 2024
Historique:
received: 11 07 2023
revised: 11 06 2024
accepted: 21 07 2024
medline: 29 7 2024
pubmed: 29 7 2024
entrez: 28 7 2024
Statut: aheadofprint

Résumé

The ability to value rewards is crucial for adaptive behavior and is influenced by the time and effort required to obtain them. Impairments in these computations have been observed in patients with schizophrenia and may be present in individuals with subclinical psychotic symptoms (PS). In this study, we employed delay and effort-discounting tasks with food rewards in thirty-nine participants divided into high and low levels of PS. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of effort-discounting through computational modelling of dopamine prefrontal and subcortical circuits and the electrophysiological biomarker of both delay and effort-discounting alterations through resting-state frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). Results revealed greater delay discounting in the High PS group compared to the Low PS group but no differences in the effort discounting task. However, in this task, the same levels of estimated dopamine release were associated with a lower willingness to exert effort for high-calorie food rewards in High PS participants compared to Low PS participants. Although there were no significant differences in FAA between the High PS and Low PS groups, FAA was significantly associated with the severity of participants' negative symptoms. Our study suggests that the dysfunction in temporal and effort cost computations, seen in patients with schizophrenia, may be present in individuals with subclinical PS. These findings provide valuable insight into the early vulnerability markers (behavioral, computational, and electrophysiological) for psychosis, which may aid in the development of preventive interventions. These findings are preliminary and warrant further investigation.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
The ability to value rewards is crucial for adaptive behavior and is influenced by the time and effort required to obtain them. Impairments in these computations have been observed in patients with schizophrenia and may be present in individuals with subclinical psychotic symptoms (PS).
METHODS METHODS
In this study, we employed delay and effort-discounting tasks with food rewards in thirty-nine participants divided into high and low levels of PS. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of effort-discounting through computational modelling of dopamine prefrontal and subcortical circuits and the electrophysiological biomarker of both delay and effort-discounting alterations through resting-state frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA).
RESULTS RESULTS
Results revealed greater delay discounting in the High PS group compared to the Low PS group but no differences in the effort discounting task. However, in this task, the same levels of estimated dopamine release were associated with a lower willingness to exert effort for high-calorie food rewards in High PS participants compared to Low PS participants. Although there were no significant differences in FAA between the High PS and Low PS groups, FAA was significantly associated with the severity of participants' negative symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that the dysfunction in temporal and effort cost computations, seen in patients with schizophrenia, may be present in individuals with subclinical PS. These findings provide valuable insight into the early vulnerability markers (behavioral, computational, and electrophysiological) for psychosis, which may aid in the development of preventive interventions. These findings are preliminary and warrant further investigation.

Identifiants

pubmed: 39068879
pii: S0920-9964(24)00351-7
doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.07.044
pii:
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

271-280

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare none.

Auteurs

Damiano Terenzi (D)

Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR 7289 CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France. Electronic address: damianoterenzi@gmail.com.

Massimo Silvetti (M)

Computational and Translational Neuroscience Lab (CTNLab), Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy.

Giorgia Zoccolan (G)

Area of Neuroscience, SISSA, Trieste, Italy.

Raffaella I Rumiati (RI)

Area of Neuroscience, SISSA, Trieste, Italy; University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.

Marilena Aiello (M)

Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Classifications MeSH