University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Brain Topogr. 2024 Jul;37(4):1-19. doi: 10.1007/s10548-023-00984-7. Epub 2023 Jul 5.
The current study aimed to investigate alterations of event-related potentials (ERPs) microstate during reward anticipation in subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ), and their association with hedonic experience and negative symptoms. EEG data were recorded in thirty SCZ and twenty-three healthy controls (HC) during the monetary incentive delay task in which reward, loss and neutral cues were presented. Microstate analysis and standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) were applied to EEG data. Furthermore, analyses correlating a topographic index (the ERPs score), calculated to quantify brain activation in relationship to the microstate maps, and scales assessing hedonic experience and negative symptoms were performed. Alterations in the first (125.0-187.5 ms) and second (261.7-414.1 ms) anticipatory cue-related microstate classes were observed. In SCZ, reward cues were associated to shorter duration and earlier offset of the first microstate class as compared to the neutral condition. In the second microstate class, the area under the curve was smaller for both reward and loss anticipation cues in SCZ as compared to HC. Furthermore, significant correlations between ERPs scores and the anticipation of pleasure scores were detected, while no significant association was found with negative symptoms. sLORETA analysis showed that hypo-activation of the cingulate cortex, insula, orbitofrontal and parietal cortex was detected in SCZ as compared to HC. Abnormalities in ERPs could be traced already during the early stages of reward processing and were associated with the anticipation of pleasure, suggesting that these dysfunctions might impair effective evaluation of incoming pleasant experiences. Negative symptoms and anhedonia are partially independent results.
本研究旨在探讨精神分裂症（SCZ）患者在奖励预期期间事件相关电位（ERPs）微状态的变化，及其与快感体验和阴性症状的关系。在货币奖励延迟任务中，对 30 名 SCZ 和 23 名健康对照（HC）的脑电图（EEG）数据进行了记录，其中呈现了奖励、损失和中性线索。对 EEG 数据进行了微状态分析和标准化低分辨率电磁断层成像（sLORETA）。此外，还对与微状态图相关的大脑激活进行量化的拓扑指数（ERPs 得分）的相关分析，并对评估快感体验和阴性症状的量表进行了分析。观察到第一（125.0-187.5 ms）和第二（261.7-414.1 ms）预期线索相关微状态类别的变化。与中性条件相比，SCZ 中奖励线索与第一微状态类别的持续时间更短，结束时间更早。在第二微状态类中，与 HC 相比，SCZ 中奖励和损失预期线索的曲线下面积均较小。此外，还检测到 ERPs 得分与期待愉悦得分之间存在显著相关性，而与阴性症状之间未发现显著相关性。sLORETA 分析显示，与 HC 相比，SCZ 中扣带回皮质、岛叶、眶额皮质和顶叶皮质的激活减少。ERPs 的异常可能早在奖励处理的早期阶段就被追踪到，并且与期待愉悦有关，这表明这些功能障碍可能会损害对传入愉悦体验的有效评估。阴性症状和快感缺失是部分独立的结果。
