T228. Social Reward Reactivity and Sensitivity in Schizophrenia Spectrum Conditions

Abstract

Background Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders often experience less pleasure during social interaction and frequently demonstrate reduced social motivation. This research examines the extent to which these behaviours may be linked to reduced social reward reactivity and sensitivity, and aims to clarify whether schizophrenia spectrum traits are associated with reduced behavioural and neural responsiveness to social rewards. It includes a systematic review and meta-analyses of social reward sensitivity research in schizophrenia, and also provides preliminary data (participant n = 50) on a novel avatar-based social incentive delay task that was created to further investigate the links between schizophrenia spectrum traits and social reward reactivity. Methods First, a systematic review and meta-analyses (literature database search conducted November 2019) found six studies that investigated social reward anticipation and consumption within the schizophrenia continuum (total participant n = 440). Four investigated social reward sensitivity in clinical samples with schizophrenia diagnoses, and two studied the links between social anhedonia traits and social reward responding in normative samples. The novel social incentive delay task presents participants with the opportunity to win animated avatar-based monetary or social rewards by responding to a cued target. Results The narrative review and meta-analyses of behavioural data from clinical and normative samples found that individuals with schizophrenia diagnoses or traits demonstrate significantly reduced behavioural anticipation of social rewards in comparison to healthy controls. Furthermore, this reduced reward reactivity was more pronounced for social rewards than for monetary rewards. This effect was also mirrored at neural levels, with individuals with schizophrenia demonstrating reduced social reward-related activation in areas such as the ventral striatum and anterior cingulate cortex. Preliminary behavioural data from the social incentive delay task suggest that, in normative samples, more pronounced negative schizotypal traits are associated with reduced anticipation and consumption of social rewards. Like in the reviewed studies, this reduced anticipation was more marked for social rewards than for monetary rewards. Discussion This research suggests that schizophrenia spectrum traits are associated with reduced reactivity and sensitivity to social rewards. It also highlights that this reduced reactivity is demonstrated at behavioural and neural levels, and is more marked for social rewards than for monetary rewards. We consider the implications of these findings for treatment programmes that target atypical social behaviour within schizophrenia spectrum conditions. A series of methodological recommendations for future work investigating social reward reactivity in schizophrenia are also included.