Cited by 184Schizophrenia research and treatmentMental Health and PsychiatryNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Anhedonia and Emotional Experience in Schizophrenia: Neural and Behavioral Indicators

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Dowd, Erin C., Barch, Deanna M.·2010·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

Background Emotional impairments such as anhedonia are often considered key features of schizophrenia. However, self-report research suggests that emotional experience in response to affect-eliciting stimuli is intact in schizophrenia. Investigation of neural activity during emotional experience may help clarify whether symptoms of anhedonia more likely reflect alterations of in-the-moment hedonic experience or impairments in other aspects of goal-directed behavior.Methods Forty individuals with DSM-IV-TR schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 32 healthy control subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while making valence and arousal ratings in response to emotional pictures, words, and faces. Blood oxygen level-dependent responses were compared between patients and control subjects and were correlated with questionnaire measures of anhedonia.Results Patients showed some evidence of blunted valence but not arousal ratings in response to emotional stimuli compared with control subjects. Higher anhedonia scores were associated with blunted valence ratings in both groups and fully mediated the group differences in valence ratings. Functional activity was largely intact in patients, except for regions in right ventral striatum and left putamen, which showed reduced responses to positive stimuli. Higher anhedonia was associated with reduced activation to positive versus negative stimuli in bilateral amygdala and right ventral striatum in patients and in bilateral caudate in control subjects.Conclusions Increased anhedonia is associated with a reduced experience of valence in both patients and control subjects, and group differences in experienced valence are likely driven by individual differences in anhedonia. Reduced activation of the striatum and amygdala may contribute to symptoms of anhedonia by failing to signal the salience of positive events.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.10.020

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  1. [46]First M Spitzer R Gibbon M Williams J Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV-TR axis I disorders-patient edition 2001 Biometrics Research Department, New York State Psychiatric Institute

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Authors
Dowd, E. C., & Barch, D. M.
Affiliations
Washington University in St. Louis (US)
Corresponding author
Dowd, Erin C.
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-05
Volume
67
Issue
10
Pages
902-911
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2090852431
Cited by
184
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 19
FWCI
9.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R01MH06603101, MH071616)
  • Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
anhedonia, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, emotional experience, valence ratings, arousal ratings, amygdala, ventral striatum, putamen, caudate nucleus, positive valence, salience, individual differences
MeSH terms
Adult, Affect, Arousal, Brain, Brain Mapping, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Psychotic Disorders, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenic Psychology, Pleasure

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