Journal article
A transdiagnostic approach to understanding neural responsivity to reward and its links to social motivation
Schizophrenia research. Cognition, Vol.41, 100367
09/01/2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2025.100367
PMCID: PMC12149646
PMID: 40496980
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are characterized by social impairments. Social impairment also occurs in the general community. Across clinical and nonclinical groups social impairment may be related to deficits in social approach and/or social avoidance motivation. However, the neural basis of social motivation deficits in SZ and BD is not well understood, nor is it known if they reflect features of the illness or are secondary to other factors such as social isolation. To fill these knowledge gaps, 31 individuals with SZ, 27 with BD, and 42 community comparisons (CCs) completed a team-based task during fMRI in which positive and negative feedback was provided by pictures of teammates or opponents. Importantly, the CC group was enriched for self-reported social isolation. fMRI analyses in five key regions of interest (ROIs; ventral striatum, orbital frontal cortex, insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala), secondary whole-brain analyses, and associations between ROI activity and social approach/avoidance motivation were performed. Across groups, ventral striatum and amygdala showed greater activation to positive versus negative feedback. In SZ, ventral striatum activity to positive feedback was correlated with social approach motivation. In CCs, amygdala activity during negative feedback was correlated with social avoidance motivation. Whole-brain analyses revealed greater activation in BD compared to SZ and CCs in fronto-parietal regions when feedback was provided by an opponent. Findings support disturbed reward sensitivity as a core component of poor social approach motivation in SZ and offer avenues for future research into neural mechanisms underlying social impairment in BD and the general community.
•Social impairments occur in serious mental illness and the general community.•Deficits in social motivation may be contributing factors.•In schizophrenia, ventral striatum activity to reward was linked to social approach.•In isolated controls amygdala activity to punishment was linked to social avoidance.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A transdiagnostic approach to understanding neural responsivity to reward and its links to social motivation
- Creators
- Amy M. Jimenez - VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare SystemSamuel J. Abplanalp - VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare SystemNaomi I. Eisenberger - University of California, Los AngelesWilliam P. Horan - University of California, Los AngelesJunghee Lee - University of Alabama at BirminghamAmanda McCleery - University of California, Los AngelesAna Ceci Myers - VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare SystemDavid J. Miklowitz - University of California, Los AngelesEric A. Reavis - VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare SystemL. Felice Reddy - University of California, Los AngelesJonathan K. Wynn - VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare SystemMichael F. Green - VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Schizophrenia research. Cognition, Vol.41, 100367
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scog.2025.100367
- PMID
- 40496980
- PMCID
- PMC12149646
- NLM abbreviation
- Schizophr Res Cogn
- ISSN
- 2215-0013
- eISSN
- 2215-0013
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Grant note
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): R01 MH110470
Funding sources This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grant number R01 MH110470 to Dr. Green. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/01/2025
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984824183902771
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