Reward System Function as a Potential Mediator of the Impact of Stress on Psychopathology: A Computational Neuroimaging Study

Despite the fact that both early-life and acute stress are known to bring about and worsen the symptoms of psychotic illness, the neural mechanisms by which this happens remain unclear. The goal of the proposed project is to investigate 1) how cumulative stress exposure impacts the function of fronto-striatal and limbic circuits involved in the processing of rewards and other salient stimuli and events, and 2) how these brain responses affect the symptoms of psychotic illness. We believe that our findings will contribute to the development of biomarkers for prediction of psychosis risk and course, as well as pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of psychotic illness.