Determining the Role of Social Reward Learning in Social Anhedonia

Purpose

This is a clinical trial study that aims to evaluate the specificity of the relationship between reduced sensitivity to social reward and social anhedonia at both behavioral and neural levels. Individuals who recently experienced their first-episode psychosis will be recruited. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to motivational interviewing or a time- and format-matched control probe. At pre- and post-probe, participants will perform two social reward learning tasks in the scanner. With this design feature, we will examine the relationship between sensitivity to social reward and reduced subjective experience of social pleasure at both the behavioral and neural levels.

Condition

  • Psychosis

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 35 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 18-35 years - A first episode of a psychotic illness that began within the past two years - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder - Taking 2nd generation antipsychotic medications - Estimated premorbid IQ not less than 70 as assessed with the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading - Appropriate for scanning (i.e., no pacemaker or metal implants) and expressed willingness to participate in scanning - Sufficient fluency in English to comprehend testing procedures - Corrected vision of at least 20/30

Exclusion Criteria

  • No evidence that substance use makes the diagnosis ambiguous (rule out substance-induced psychosis) - No evidence of moderate or severe alcohol or substance use disorder in the past 3 months - No clinically significant disease based on medical history (e.g., epilepsy) or significant head injury - For females: no current pregnancy - No sedatives or anxiolytics on the day of assessment - No medication change 3 weeks prior to enrollment

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Basic Science
Masking
Single (Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Motivational Interview Intervention 		This arm involves three 45-minute sessions on motivational interviewing targeting sensitivity to social reward.
  • Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing
    Three motivational interviewing sessions will target sensitivity to social reward, including subjective evaluation of social interaction, socially rewarding stimuli, and events (e.g., interactions with others, feedback from others).
Active Comparator
Active Control Intervention 		This arm involves three 45-minute sessions on didactic training on nutrition.
  • Behavioral: Nutrition Didactic Training
    The Nutrition didactic training will ask participants to discuss pros and cons of healthy eating habits and how to improve their current eating habits.

Recruiting Locations

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama 35294
Contact:
Andrew Meddaugh, BA
205-934-8203
ajmeddaugh@uabmc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Study Contact

Junghee Lee, PhD
205-934-8205
jungheelee@uabmc.edu