Associations between Electrophysiological Evidence of Reward and Punishment-Based Learning and Psychotic Experiences and Social Anhedonia in At-Risk Groups

Nicole R Karcher; Bruce D Bartholow; Elizabeth A Martin; John G Kerns

doi:10.1038/npp.2016.192

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Associations between Electrophysiological Evidence of Reward and Punishment-Based Learning and Psychotic Experiences and Social Anhedonia in At-Risk Groups

Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Associations between Electrophysiological Evidence of Reward and Punishment-Based Learning and Psychotic Experiences and Social Anhedonia in At-Risk Groups

Nicole R Karcher, Bruce D Bartholow, Elizabeth A Martin and John G Kerns

Neuropsychopharmacology (New York, N.Y.), Vol.42(4), pp.925-932

03/01/2017

DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.192

PMCID: PMC5312063

PMID: 27629367

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Abstract

Both positive psychotic symptoms and anhedonia are associated with striatal functioning, but few studies have linked risk for psychotic disorders to a neural measure evoked during a striatal dopamine-related reward and punishment-based learning task, such as a reversal learning task (RLT; Cools et al, 2009). The feedback-related negativity (FRN) is a neural response that in part reflects striatal dopamine functioning. We recorded EEG during the RLT in three groups: (a) people with psychotic experiences (PE; n=20) at increased risk for psychotic disorders; (b) people with extremely elevated social anhedonia (SocAnh; n=22); and (c) controls (n=20). Behaviorally, consistent with increased striatal dopamine, the PE group exhibited better behavioral learning (ie, faster responses) after unexpected reward than after unexpected punishment. Moreover, although the control and SocAnh groups showed a larger FRN to punishment than reward, the PE group showed similar FRNs to punishment and reward, with a numerically larger FRN to reward than punishment (with similar results on these trials also found for a P3a component). These results are among the first to link a neural response evoked by a reward and punishment-based learning task specifically with elevated psychosis risk.

Adolescent

Adult

Anhedonia - physiology

Electroencephalography

Evoked Potentials - physiology

Female

Humans

Interpersonal Relations

Male

Psychotic Disorders - physiopathology

Punishment

Reversal Learning - physiology

Reward

Social Behavior

Young Adult

Details

Title: Subtitle: Associations between Electrophysiological Evidence of Reward and Punishment-Based Learning and Psychotic Experiences and Social Anhedonia in At-Risk Groups
Creators: Nicole R Karcher - University of Missouri
Bruce D Bartholow - University of Missouri
Elizabeth A Martin - University of California, Irvine
John G Kerns - University of Missouri
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Neuropsychopharmacology (New York, N.Y.), Vol.42(4), pp.925-932
DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.192
PMID: 27629367
PMCID: PMC5312063
NLM abbreviation: Neuropsychopharmacology
ISSN: 0893-133X
eISSN: 1740-634X
Language: English
Date published: 03/01/2017
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984446446902771

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