Research points to new therapies to lessen the severity of delusions for patients with schizophrenia
New research has found that reductions in the severity of delusions in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders recovering from an acute psychotic episode were significantly associated with reductions in volatility priors—someone's expectations about the unpredictability of their environment. The findings from the new study, published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and…
Recent research reveals that lowering the severity of delusions in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders is linked to reductions in volatility priors—their expectations of environmental unpredictability. Published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, the study suggests volatility priors may be modifiable, offering a potential new treatment target.
Delusions, strong beliefs that defy evidence, severely impact millions worldwide. DSM-5 defines delusions as false inferences, but their origins remain unclear. Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders often set abnormal high volatility priors, leading the brain to generate delusions as it attempts to understand unpredictability. Current treatments are inconsistent, leaving patients in need of better options.
Dr. Julia M. Sheffield of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences aimed to determine whether volatility priors change alongside delusion severity. They recruited 75 adults with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders recovering from acute psychotic episodes, assessing volatility priors and delusional thinking at six intervals over six months.
Compared to a nonclinical control group, those with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders had significantly higher volatility priors and persistent delusions at the study's end. However, volatility priors decreased over time and were linked to delusion severity, suggesting they could be a state-sensitive marker of delusions that may change with recovery.
This research opens new avenues for cognitive-based treatments, moving beyond traditional antipsychotic medications to address the root cause of delusions.
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