Anhedonia in schizophrenia: The role of subjective experiences.
BACKGROUND
High levels of anhedonia have been found in patients with schizophrenia; specifically they report higher levels of social anhedonia rather than physical anhedonia, and further, in the anticipatory rather than consummatory facets of pleasure. Nonetheless, contrasting results emerged regarding the underlying mechanisms of this deficit. Basic Symptoms (BS) disturb subjective experiences present for most of the illness' course; this impacts patients' daily lives leading to a loss of the ability to organize the experience of the self and the world in a fluid and automatic way. Considering the role played by negative emotions in the subjective evaluation of anhedonia, the aim of the study is to clarify the role of BS in the assessment of anhedonia in a sample of patients with schizophrenia (n=53) compared with healthy controls (n=46).


METHODS
Participants completed a self-administered trait questionnaire evaluating social anhedonia (Revised-Social Anhedonia Scale), physical anhedonia (Physical Anhedonia Scale), and the consummatory and anticipatory pleasure experiences (Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale). BS were evaluated with the Frankfurter Beschwerde-Frageboden (FBF) whereas psychopathology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale.


RESULTS
Patients scored higher than healthy controls in social, physical and anticipatory anhedonia, but not in consummatory anhedonia and these relationships were mediated by the FBF. Basic Symptoms of Memory, Overstimulation and Lack of Automatism were related to some facets of anhedonia, independently from depressive symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
We hypothesize that a subjective cognitive deficit and a reduced ability in information processing, could prevent patients from retaining a positive experience from past pleasant activities. Therefore the lack of pleasure would be, at least in part, related to an avoidance of potentially stressful new scenarios.
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy; Mental Health Department, Local Health Agency, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Renata
R
Fortunati
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy; Mental Health Department, Local Health Agency, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Paolo
P
Ossola
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
Annalisa
A
Camerlengo
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
Elena
E
Bettini
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy; Mental Health Department, Local Health Agency, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Chiara
C
De Panfilis
Mental Health Department, Local Health Agency, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Matteo
M
Tonna
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy.
Carlo
C
Maggini
Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy; Mental Health Department, Local Health Agency, University Hospital, Braga Building, via Gramsci, 14, 43126 Parma, Italy. Electronic address: carlo.marchesi@unipr.it.
Carlo
C
Marchesi
D000328:Adult; D059445:Anhedonia / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D003863:Depression; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057181:Pleasure / Q000502:physiology*; D011599:Psychopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires