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The nature of anhedonia and avolition in patients with first-episode schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2015

S. S. Y. Lui ,
A. C. Y. Liu ,
W. W. H. Chui ,
Z. Li ,
F. Geng ,
Y. Wang ,
E. A. Heerey ,
E. F. C. Cheung  and
R. C. K. Chan
S. S. Y. Lui
Affiliation:
Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administration Region, People's Republic of China
A. C. Y. Liu
Affiliation:
Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administration Region, People's Republic of China
W. W. H. Chui
Affiliation:
Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administration Region, People's Republic of China
Z. Li
Affiliation:
Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
F. Geng
Affiliation:
Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
Y. Wang
Affiliation:
Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
E. A. Heerey
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
E. F. C. Cheung
Affiliation:
Castle Peak Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administration Region, People's Republic of China
R. C. K. Chan*
Affiliation:
Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
*
* Address for correspondence: R. C. K. Chan, Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China. (Email: rckchan@psych.ac.cn)
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Abstract

Background

Patients with schizophrenia have intact ability to experience emotion, but empirical evidence suggests that they fail to translate emotional salience into effortful behaviour. Previous research in patients with chronic schizophrenia suggests that working memory is important in integrating emotion and behaviour. This study aimed to examine avolition and anhedonia in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and clarify the role of working memory in emotion–behaviour coupling.

Method

We recruited 72 participants with first-episode schizophrenia and 61 healthy controls, and used a validated emotion-inducing behavioural paradigm to measure participants' affective experiences and how experienced emotion coupled with behaviour. Participants were given the opportunity to expend effort to increase or decrease their exposure to emotion-inducing photographs. Participants with schizophrenia having poor working memory were compared with those with intact working memory in their liking and emotion–behaviour coupling.

Results

Patients with first-episode schizophrenia experienced intact ‘in-the-moment’ emotion, but their emotion was less predictive of the effort expended, compared with controls. The emotion–behaviour coupling was significantly weaker in patients with schizophrenia with poor working memory than in those with intact working memory. However, compared with controls, patients with intact working also showed substantial emotion–behaviour decoupling.

Conclusions

Our findings provide strong evidence for emotion–behaviour decoupling in first-episode schizophrenia. Although working memory deficits contribute to defective translation of liking into effortful behaviour, schizophrenia alone affects emotion–behaviour coupling.

Keywords

Anhedoniaavolitionfirst-episode schizophreniaschizophreniaworking memory
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 46 , Issue 2 , January 2016 , pp. 437 - 447
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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