RT Journal
A1 Romaniuk L, Honey GD, King JL, et al
T1 MIdbrain activation during pavlovian conditioning and delusional symptoms in schizophrenia
JF Archives of General Psychiatry
JO Archives of General Psychiatry
YR 2010
FD December 6
VO 67
IS 12
SP 1246
OP 1254
DO 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.169
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.169
AB Context 
    Recent theories have suggested that the inappropriate activation of limbic motivational systems in response to neutral stimuli may underlie the development of delusions in schizophrenia.Objective 
    To investigate the activation of the amygdala, midbrain, and ventral striatum during an aversive pavlovian conditioning task in patients with schizophrenia and healthy control participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging.Design 
    Cross-sectional case-control functional neuroimaging study.Setting 
    Academic medical center.Participants 
    Twenty patients with DSM-IV–diagnosed schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 20 healthy control participants.Main Outcome Measures 
    Regional brain activation as assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level–dependent responses, and delusional symptom severity on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale.Results 
    Patients with schizophrenia showed abnormal activation of the amygdala, midbrain, and ventral striatum during conditioning. Activation of the midbrain in response to neutral rather than aversive cues during conditioning was correlated with the severity of delusional symptoms in the patient group (corrected P = .04).Conclusion 
    Inappropriate activation of the midbrain in response to neutral stimuli during conditioning is associated with the severity of delusional symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.