Avolition predicts variability in optimal risk-taking in early psychosis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Adolescence and early adulthood are characterized by increased risk-taking, potentially adaptive for development.
• In psychosis, impaired risk-taking due to altered reward processing may hinder social and functional outcomes.
• Understanding optimal risk-taking in early psychosis (EP) is crucial for addressing functional deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in optimal risk-taking between individuals in early psychosis (EP) and healthy controls (HC).
• To examine the relationship between optimal risk-taking and the negative symptom of avolition in EP.
• To assess how risk-propensity, adverse outcomes, and behavioral adjustments post-punishment differ between groups and relate to avolition.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-six EP participants and 52 healthy controls (HC) completed a modified Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART).
• The BART involved inflating virtual balloons for points, with risks of losing points if balloons exploded.
• Trials were categorized as low-risk (high reward probability, low punishment probability) or high-risk (low reward probability, high punishment probability).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in BART metrics were observed between EP and HC groups overall.
• In the EP group, avolition correlated with reduced risk-propensity on low-risk trials.
• Avolition was also linked to reduced risk-taking following punishment on low-risk trials in the EP group.

Conclusions:

• Risk-taking and response to punishment in high-risk situations appear preserved in early psychosis.
• In lower-risk situations, behavioral variability in EP may be influenced by the severity of negative symptoms like avolition.
• These findings highlight the nuanced impact of negative symptoms on decision-making in psychosis.