Reward Processing in XXXX : A Functional MRI Study.

@entity1 @entity162 @entity308 @entity4270
Differentiating @entity162 ( @entity162 ) from @entity308 ( @entity308 ) remains a major clinical challenge. The identification of neurobiological markers may help to differentiate these disorders, particularly during @entity308 episodes. This cross-sectional study, including 33 @entity1 with @entity308 , 33 @entity1 with @entity162 , and 34 healthy controls, is one of the first to directly compare @entity308 and @entity162 with respect to reward processing. A card-guessing paradigm was employed and brain activity associated with reward processing was investigated by means of fMRI. A 3 (group) * 2 (condition: reward>control, loss>control) ANOVA was conducted using the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) as ROI. Furthermore, a whole-brain approach was applied. A functional connectivity analysis was performed to characterize diagnosis-related alterations in the functional coupling between the NAcc and other brain areas. The ANOVA revealed higher activity for healthy controls (HCs) than for @entity162 and @entity308 in the NAcc during reward processing. Moreover, @entity308 showed a higher functional connectivity between the NAcc and the VTA than HC. The @entity1 groups could be differentiated in that @entity162 showed a decreased activation, in the reward condition, of the NAcc, caudate nucleus, thalamus, putamen, insula, and prefrontal areas compared with @entity308 . These results may help to refine the understanding of neural correlates of reward processing in both disorders, and to understand the neural underpinnings of @entity4270 , a core symptom of @entity308 episodes.
