Range adaptive value representations in schizophrenia and major depression

• Published in: Asian journal of psychiatry Vol. 92; p. 103880
• Main Authors: Wang, Ling-ling, Lui, Simon S.Y., So, Jane W.L., Hu, Hui-xin, Chu, Min-yi, Cheng, Koi-Man, Li, Shuai-biao, Le, Bei-lin, Lv, Qin-yu, Yi, Zheng-hui, Chan, Raymond C.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.02.2024
• Subjects: Amotivation; Anhedonia; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major; Humans; Motivation; Range adaptation; Reward; Reward processing; Schizophrenia; Transdiagnostic; Range adaptation; Anhedonia; Transdiagnostic; Amotivation; Reward processing
• ISSN: 1876-2018; 1876-2026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103880

Anhedonia and amotivation are core symptoms of schizophrenia (SCZ) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Reward processing involves constructing and contrasting the representations for expected value (EV) and outcome value (OV) of a given stimulus, a phenomenon termed range adaptation. Impaired range adaptation can lead to anhedonia and amotivation. This study aimed to examine range adaptation in SCZ patients and MDD patients. Fifty SCZ, 46 MDD patients and 56 controls completed the Effort-based Pleasure Experience Task to measure EV and OV adaptation. SCZ and MDD patients showed altered range adaptation, albeit in different patterns. SCZ patients exhibited over-adaptation to OV and reduced adaptation to EV. By contrast, MDD patients exhibited diminished OV adaptation but intact EV adaptation. Both OV and EV adaptation were correlated with anhedonia and amotivation in SCZ and MDD. Taken together, our findings suggest that range adaptation is altered in both SCZ and MDD patients. Associations of OV and EV adaptation with anhedonia and amotivation were consistently found in SCZ and MDD patients. Impaired range adaptation in SCZ and MDD patients may be putative neural mechanisms and potential intervention targets for anhedonia and amotivation. •To examine the relationship between anhedonia and range adaptation ion schizophrenia (SZ) and major depressive disorder (MDD).•SZ and MDD patients exhibited altered range adaptation, albeit in different patterns.•SZ patients exhibited over-adaptation to outcome value and reduced adaptation to expected value.•MDD patients exhibited diminished outcome value adaptation but intact expected value adaptation.•Range adaptation correlated with anhedonia and amotivation in both SZ and MDD patients.