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Determining the Role of Social Reward Learning in Social Anhedonia
Determining the Role of Social Reward Learning in Social Anhedonia in First-Episode Psychosis Using Motivational Interviewing in a Perturbation-Based Neuroimaging Approach
Who can join
Ages 18 to 35 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-35 years * A first episode of a psychotic illness that began within the past three years * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder * Taking 2nd generation antipsychotic medications * Estimated premorbid IQ not less than 70 as assessed with the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading * Appropriate for scanning (i.e., no pacemaker or metal implants) and expressed willingness to participate in scanning * Sufficient fluency in English to comprehend testing procedures * Corrected vision of at least 20/30 Exclusion Criteria: * No evidence that substance use makes the diagnosis ambiguous (rule out substance-induced psychosis) * No evidence of moderate or severe alcohol or substance use disorder in the past 3 months * No clinically significant disease based on medical history (e.g., epilepsy) or significant head injury * For females: no current pregnancy * No sedatives or anxiolytics on the day of assessment * No medication change 3 weeks prior to enrollment
About the study
This is a clinical trial study that aims to evaluate the specificity of the relationship between reduced sensitivity to social reward and social anhedonia at both behavioral and neural levels. Individuals who recently experienced their first-episode psychosis will be recruited. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to motivational interviewing or a time- and format-matched control probe. At pre- and post-probe, participants will perform two social reward learning tasks in the scanner. With this design feature, we will examine the relationship between sensitivity to social reward and reduced subjective experience of social pleasure at both the behavioral and neural levels.
What is being tested
- Motivational Interviewing (behavioral)
- Nutrition Didactic Training (behavioral)
Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham · Participants: 152 · Started: Jun 14, 2023
Contact the study team
- Junghee Lee, PhD · Phone: 205-934-8205
- Andrew Meddaugh, BA · Phone: 205-934-8203
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05617898
Locations in the U.S.
| Alabama | University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham |
| California | University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.