You read my mind: fMRI markers of threatening appraisals in people with persistent psychotic experiences

Raphael Underwood; Liam Mason; Owen O'Daly; Jeffrey Dalton; Andy Simmons; Gareth J. Barker; Emmanuelle Peters; Veena Kumari

doi:10.1038/s41537-021-00173-0

You read my mind: fMRI markers of threatening appraisals in people with persistent psychotic experiences

Raphael Underwood, Liam Mason, Owen O'Daly, Jeffrey Dalton, Andy Simmons, Gareth J. Barker, Emmanuelle Peters, Veena Kumari

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Anomalous perceptual experiences are relatively common in the general population. Evidence indicates that the key to distinguishing individuals with persistent psychotic experiences (PEs) with a need for care from those without is how they appraise their anomalous experiences. Here, we aimed to characterise the neural circuits underlying threatening and non-threatening appraisals in people with and without a need for care for PEs, respectively. A total of 48 participants, consisting of patients with psychosis spectrum disorder (clinical group, n = 16), non-need-for-care participants with PEs (non-clinical group, n = 16), and no-PE healthy control participants (n = 16), underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing the Telepath task, designed to induce an anomalous perceptual experience. Appraisals of the anomalous perceptual experiences were examined, as well as functional brain responses during this window, for significant group differences. We also examined whether activation co-varied with the subjective threat appraisals reported in-task by participants. The clinical group reported elevated subjective threat appraisals compared to both the non-clinical and no-PE control groups, with no differences between the two non-clinical groups. This pattern of results was accompanied by reduced activation in the superior and inferior frontal gyri in the clinical group as compared to the non-clinical and control groups. Precuneus activation scaled with threat appraisals reported in-task. Resilience in the context of persistent anomalous experiences may be explained by intact functioning of fronto-parietal regions, and may correspond to the ability to contextualise and flexibly evaluate psychotic experiences.

Original language	English
Article number	49
Journal	NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA
Volume	7
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-021-00173-0
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

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title = "You read my mind: fMRI markers of threatening appraisals in people with persistent psychotic experiences",

abstract = "Anomalous perceptual experiences are relatively common in the general population. Evidence indicates that the key to distinguishing individuals with persistent psychotic experiences (PEs) with a need for care from those without is how they appraise their anomalous experiences. Here, we aimed to characterise the neural circuits underlying threatening and non-threatening appraisals in people with and without a need for care for PEs, respectively. A total of 48 participants, consisting of patients with psychosis spectrum disorder (clinical group, n = 16), non-need-for-care participants with PEs (non-clinical group, n = 16), and no-PE healthy control participants (n = 16), underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing the Telepath task, designed to induce an anomalous perceptual experience. Appraisals of the anomalous perceptual experiences were examined, as well as functional brain responses during this window, for significant group differences. We also examined whether activation co-varied with the subjective threat appraisals reported in-task by participants. The clinical group reported elevated subjective threat appraisals compared to both the non-clinical and no-PE control groups, with no differences between the two non-clinical groups. This pattern of results was accompanied by reduced activation in the superior and inferior frontal gyri in the clinical group as compared to the non-clinical and control groups. Precuneus activation scaled with threat appraisals reported in-task. Resilience in the context of persistent anomalous experiences may be explained by intact functioning of fronto-parietal regions, and may correspond to the ability to contextualise and flexibly evaluate psychotic experiences.",

author = "Raphael Underwood and Liam Mason and Owen O'Daly and Jeffrey Dalton and Andy Simmons and Barker, {Gareth J.} and Emmanuelle Peters and Veena Kumari",

note = "Funding Information: Dr. Underwood was supported by the Medical Research Council and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King{\textquoteright}s College London. Dr. Kumari reported receiving funding from the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre for the functional scans analysed in the present article. All remaining authors reported no biomedical financial interests or potential competing interests. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

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AU - Underwood, Raphael

AU - Mason, Liam

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AU - Dalton, Jeffrey

AU - Simmons, Andy

AU - Barker, Gareth J.

AU - Peters, Emmanuelle

AU - Kumari, Veena

N1 - Funding Information: Dr. Underwood was supported by the Medical Research Council and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London. Dr. Kumari reported receiving funding from the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre for the functional scans analysed in the present article. All remaining authors reported no biomedical financial interests or potential competing interests. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Anomalous perceptual experiences are relatively common in the general population. Evidence indicates that the key to distinguishing individuals with persistent psychotic experiences (PEs) with a need for care from those without is how they appraise their anomalous experiences. Here, we aimed to characterise the neural circuits underlying threatening and non-threatening appraisals in people with and without a need for care for PEs, respectively. A total of 48 participants, consisting of patients with psychosis spectrum disorder (clinical group, n = 16), non-need-for-care participants with PEs (non-clinical group, n = 16), and no-PE healthy control participants (n = 16), underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing the Telepath task, designed to induce an anomalous perceptual experience. Appraisals of the anomalous perceptual experiences were examined, as well as functional brain responses during this window, for significant group differences. We also examined whether activation co-varied with the subjective threat appraisals reported in-task by participants. The clinical group reported elevated subjective threat appraisals compared to both the non-clinical and no-PE control groups, with no differences between the two non-clinical groups. This pattern of results was accompanied by reduced activation in the superior and inferior frontal gyri in the clinical group as compared to the non-clinical and control groups. Precuneus activation scaled with threat appraisals reported in-task. Resilience in the context of persistent anomalous experiences may be explained by intact functioning of fronto-parietal regions, and may correspond to the ability to contextualise and flexibly evaluate psychotic experiences.

AB - Anomalous perceptual experiences are relatively common in the general population. Evidence indicates that the key to distinguishing individuals with persistent psychotic experiences (PEs) with a need for care from those without is how they appraise their anomalous experiences. Here, we aimed to characterise the neural circuits underlying threatening and non-threatening appraisals in people with and without a need for care for PEs, respectively. A total of 48 participants, consisting of patients with psychosis spectrum disorder (clinical group, n = 16), non-need-for-care participants with PEs (non-clinical group, n = 16), and no-PE healthy control participants (n = 16), underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing the Telepath task, designed to induce an anomalous perceptual experience. Appraisals of the anomalous perceptual experiences were examined, as well as functional brain responses during this window, for significant group differences. We also examined whether activation co-varied with the subjective threat appraisals reported in-task by participants. The clinical group reported elevated subjective threat appraisals compared to both the non-clinical and no-PE control groups, with no differences between the two non-clinical groups. This pattern of results was accompanied by reduced activation in the superior and inferior frontal gyri in the clinical group as compared to the non-clinical and control groups. Precuneus activation scaled with threat appraisals reported in-task. Resilience in the context of persistent anomalous experiences may be explained by intact functioning of fronto-parietal regions, and may correspond to the ability to contextualise and flexibly evaluate psychotic experiences.

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ER -

You read my mind: fMRI markers of threatening appraisals in people with persistent psychotic experiences

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