Loneliness and Neurobiology in People with Schizophrenia

Loneliness and Neurobiology in People with Schizophrenia Introduction Method Results, Continued - My intensive literature review included studies and reviews published from 2015 to 2021, including databases like Pubmed and the BU Library - Compared to neurotypical adults, people with schizophrenia have reduced white matter volume associated with deficits in social skills and social cognition (Chee et al, 2020). Results - Schizophrenia is characterized by a set of positive and negative symptoms. - It interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others (NAMI, n.d.) - A particular study found that patients with schizophrenia experienced higher levels of loneliness than controls independently of their objective social isolation (Trémeau et. al, 2016). - In people with schizophrenia, reduced activity in the amygdala is associated with deficits in overall motivation and number of social interactions (Chee et. al, 2020) - Loneliness is highly prevalent in people with schizophrenia compared to neurotypical adults. Loneliness has a direct relationship to detrimental health outcomes and mortality. Discussion Objectives - How prevalent is loneliness and how does it differ in people with schizophrenia compared to neurotypical adults? - What are some neurobiological structural and functional differences in people with schizophrenia that are related to loneliness and social interactions? (Campellone et al., 2018) - As demonstrated here, people with schizophrenia tend to place less trust, anticipate less pleasure, and expend less effort to increase the likelihood future interactions with positive social outcomes (Campellone et al., 2018), likely contributing to experienced loneliness. - Additionally, people with schizophrenia also expend less effort to decrease the likelihood of future interaction after a negative social outcome. - More studies need to do momentary assessment given the ever-varying nature of feeling loneliness owing to the symptoms and difficulties experienced by people with schizophrenia. - Future studies need to further research strong, unique neurobiological patterns in people with schizophrenia, in the hope of identifying it earlier and developing more effective early intervention techniques.