Changes in responses of the amygdala and hippocampus during fear conditioning are associated with persecutory beliefs.

ABSTRACT: The persecutory delusion is the most common symptom of psychosis, yet its underlying neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood. Prior studies have suggested that abnormalities in medial temporal lobe-dependent associative learning may contribute to this symptom. In the current study, this hypothesis was tested in a non-clinical sample of young adults without histories of psychiatric treatment (n = 64), who underwent classical Pavlovian fear conditioning while fMRI data were collected. During the fear conditioning procedure, participants viewed images of faces which were paired (the CS+) or not paired (the CS-) with an aversive stimulus (a mild electrical shock). Fear conditioning-related neural responses were measured in two medial temporal lobe regions, the amygdala and hippocampus

SUBMITTER: Deng W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11001942 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature