Psychotic Experiences, Working Memory, and the Developing Brain: A Multimodal Neuroimaging Study.
Psychotic experiences (PEs) occur in the general population, especially in children and adolescents, and are associated with poor psychosocial outcomes, impaired cognition, and increased risk of transition to psychosis. It is unknown how the presence and persistence of PEs during early adulthood affects cognition and brain function. The current study assessed working memory as well as brain function and structure in 149 individuals, with and without PEs, drawn from a population cohort. Observer-rated PEs were classified as persistent or transient on the basis of longitudinal assessments. Working memory was assessed using the n-back task during fMRI. Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) was used to characterize frontoparietal network configuration and voxel-based morphometry was utilized to examine gray matter. Those with persistent, but not transient, PEs performed worse on the n-back task, compared with controls, yet showed no significant differences in regional brain activation or brain structure. DCM analyses revealed greater emphasis on frontal connectivity within a frontoparietal network in those with PEs compared with controls. We propose that these findings portray an altered configuration of working memory function in the brain, potentially indicative of an adaptive response to atypical development associated with the manifestation of PEs.
Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Leon
L
Fonville
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Kathrin
K
Cohen Kadosh
Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Mark
M
Drakesmith
Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Anirban
A
Dutt
Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK Centre for Academic Mental Health, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Stanley
S
Zammit
Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Josephine
J
Mollon
Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
Abraham
A
Reichenberg
Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Glyn
G
Lewis
Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Derek K
DK
Jones
Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Anthony S
AS
David
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
ALSPAC; fMRI; neurodevelopment; psychotic experiences; working memory