No abstract

Individuals with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD) and those at familial high-risk (FHR) for SSDs experience social difficulties that are related to neural abnormalities in the network of brain regions recruited during theory of mind (ToM). Prior work with these groups has focused almost exclusively on characterizing involvement of these regions in ToM. Here, we examine the representational content of these regions using multivariate pattern analysis. We analyzed two previously collected datasets of SSD, FHR, and control participants who, while undergoing fMRI, completed the false-belief task in which they read stories describing beliefs or physical representations (e.g., photographs). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed in regions-of-interest to evaluate group differences in task-based activation and representational content, respectively. Compared to non-SSD, SSD showed reduced decoding accuracy for the category of mental states in right temporo-parietal junction (RTPJ)—which was related to false-belief accuracy—and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), and reduced involvement of DMPFC for mental state understanding. FHR showed no differences in decoding accuracy or involvement compared to non-FHR. Given prior studies of disrupted neural involvement in FHR, and the lack of decoding differences observed here, the onset of illness may involve processes that corrupt how mental state information is represented.

No abstract

Social anhedonia (SA) is a trait-like phenomenon observed across schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSDs). While in-the-moment social pleasure experiences are intact in SSDs, anticipatory pleasure experiences may be disrupted. Thus, the prediction of future emotions in social situations, or social affective forecasting (SAF), may play a role in SA. Therefore, we utilized daily diary methods to examine SAF in SSD and the association between SAF and SA in 34 SSD and 43 non-SSD individuals. SAF was calculated as the absolute difference between anticipatory and consummatory ratings of 13 positive and negative emotions for daily social interactions reported across eight days. Results suggest that individuals with SSDs are less accurate in forecasting negative, but not positive emotions, for future social interactions. Further, poorer forecasting accuracy of negative emotions were associated with elevated levels of SA and lower social pleasure. Together, these data suggest that inaccuracies in forecasting negative emotions may be a worthwhile intervention target for reducing SA in SSDs.

No abstract