Neural Dysfunctions during Cognitive Control of Emotion and the relationship to Social Impairments in Psychosis

The majority of individuals with psychotic disorders have difficulty navigating the social world - they may have few friends, minimal social interactions, or social interactions predominantly characterized by conflict. These social impairments are distressing, debilitating, and current treatments do not address them. To develop effective treatments, we must identify the underlying mechanisms that contribute to these social difficulties. One such mechanism is cognitive control of emotion - the ability to regulate emotional states and the influence of emotional information on behavior - which is necessary for successful navigation of social interactions and is known to predict response to social conflict in healthy individuals. This project uses fMRI to systematically examine brain mechanisms during different aspects of cognitive control of emotion in individuals with psychotic disorders. Results from the project will be used to identify possible intervention targets for future treatment studies.