Cited by 186Schizophrenia research and treatmentNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Patients with Schizophrenia have a Reduced Neural Response to Both Unpredictable and Predictable Primary Reinforcers

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Waltz, James A, Schweitzer, Julie B, Gold, James M, Kurup, Pradeep K, Ross, Thomas J, Jo Salmeron, Betty, Rose, Emma Jane, McClure, Samuel M +1 more·2009·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

One prevalent theory of learning states that dopamine neurons signal mismatches between expected and actual outcomes, called temporal difference errors (TDEs). Evidence indicates that dopamine system dysfunction is involved in negative symptoms of schizophrenia (SZ), including avolition and anhedonia. As such, we predicted that brain responses to TDEs in dopamine midbrain nuclei and target areas would be abnormal in SZ. A total of 18 clinically stable patients with chronic SZ and 18 controls participated in an fMRI study, which used a passive conditioning task. In the task, the delivery of a small amount of juice followed a light stimulus by exactly 6 s on approximately 75% of 78 total trials, and was further delayed by 4-7 s on the remaining trials. The delayed juice delivery was designed to elicit the two types of TDE signals, associated with the recognition that a reward was omitted at the expected time, and delivered at an unexpected time. Main effects of TDE valence and group differences in the positive-negative TDE contrast (unexpected juice deliveries-juice omissions) were assessed through whole-brain and regions of interest (ROI) analyses. Main effects of TDE valence were observed for the entire sample in the midbrain, left putamen, left cerebellum, and primary gustatory cortex, bilaterally. Whole-brain analyses revealed group differences in the positive-negative TDE contrast in the right putamen and left precentral gyrus, whereas ROI analyses revealed additional group differences in the midbrain, insula, and parietal operculum, on the right, the putamen and cerebellum, on the left, and the frontal operculum, bilaterally. Further, these group differences were generally driven by attenuated responses in patients to positive TDEs (unexpected juice deliveries), whereas responses to negative TDEs (unexpected juice omissions) were largely intact. Patients also showed reductions in responses to juice deliveries on standard trials, and more blunted reinforcer responses in the left putamen corresponded to higher ratings of avolition. These results provide evidence that SZ patients show abnormal brain responses associated with the processing of a primary reinforcer, which may be a source of motivational deficits.

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Crossref · 10.1038/npp.2008.214

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  • A large number of fMRI studies indicate that midbrain and striatal responses to rewarding and to neutral outcomes are altered in patients with psychosis and that these alterations are associated with positive and negative symptoms.

    “A large number of fMRI studies indicate that midbrain and striatal responses to rewarding and to neutral outcomes are altered in patients with psychosis (29-42) and that these alterations are associated with positive and negative symptoms.”

    From Aberrant Salience, Information Processing, and Dopaminergic Signaling in People at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (2020) · cites this paper as [34]

    The Abstract and Results (page numbers unavailable) report altered midbrain and putamen responses to juice rewards in patients with schizophrenia. The Results also link weaker putamen responses to greater avolition, a negative symptom. The paper does not establish altered responses to neutral outcomes or an association with positive symptoms; responses to unexpected juice omissions were largely intact. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Task-related frontal and striatal activation and fronto-striatal connectivity have been repeatedly shown to be altered across the psychosis continuum, suggesting that high-level priors have greater influence on perception in psychosis.

    “task-related frontal and striatal activation and fronto-striatal connectivity have been repeatedly shown to be altered across the psychosis continuum, suggesting that high-level priors have greater influence on perception in psychosis (33, 34, 36-38, 82, 127-130).”

    From Aberrant Salience, Information Processing, and Dopaminergic Signaling in People at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (2020) · cites this paper as [34]

    The Discussion ('Group differences in responses to TDEs'; page unavailable) reports altered task-related responses in the frontal operculum and putamen in patients with schizophrenia. The paper does not establish altered fronto-striatal connectivity across the psychosis continuum or infer that high-level priors exert greater influence on perception. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Neuroimaging studies generally suggest decreased NAc activation during monetary-reward anticipation in schizophrenia in both medicated and unmedicated patients.

    “Neuroimaging studies of responses to rewards in schizophrenia generally suggest decreased NAc activation during monetary-reward anticipation (but see [416]for an exception) in both patients taking medication and patients not taking medication [417-420].”

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  1. First MB Spitzer RL Gibbon M Williams JBW 1997 Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV- Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) Washington, DC American Psychiatric Press

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Authors
Waltz, J. A., Schweitzer, J. B., Gold, J. M., Kurup, P. K., Ross, T. J., Jo Salmeron, B., Rose, E. J., McClure, S. M., & Stein, E. A.
Affiliations
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
Waltz, James A
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2008-12-03
Volume
34
Issue
6
Pages
1567-1577
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2003505635
Cited by
186
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 12
FWCI
7.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5p30mh068580-03, 5k12rr023250-05, Z99 DA999999)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (P30 MH-068580, 1R24 MH72647-01A1, R24MH072647, P30 MH068580-01)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • National Center for Research Resources (1K12 RR 023250-01, K12-RR023250)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
schizophrenia, temporal difference error, dopamine, reward prediction, avolition, anhedonia, putamen, midbrain, motivational deficits, negative symptoms
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Conditioning, Psychological, Cues, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Reinforcement, Psychology, Reward, Schizophrenia, Task Performance and Analysis, Time Factors

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