neural correlates

• What are neural correlates?

  Measurements of the structure/function of the brain that correlate with an experience.
• What types of symptoms have neural correlates?

  Both positive and negative symptoms have neural correlates.
• What does avolition involve?

  Avolition involves the loss of motivation.

  
  

  The ventral striatum is believed to be involved in the anticipation of reward which links to motivation. Abnormalities of this is involved in the development of avolition
• How are abnormalities of the ventral striatum related to avolition?


  Abnormalities of the ventral striatum are thought to be involved in the development of avolition.
• What was the finding of Juckel (2006) regarding activity levels in the ventral striatum?


  They found lower levels of activity compared to the control group.
• What correlation did Juckel (2006) find between activity levels in the ventral striatum and negative symptoms?


  They found a negative correlation between activity levels and severity of overall negative symptoms.
• What are the neural correlates of positive symptoms according to Allen (2007)?


  Lower levels of activity in the superior temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus.
• What task did Allen (2007) use to study patients experiencing auditory hallucinations?


  They scanned the brains while patients identified their own speech from others off a recording.
• What was a significant finding regarding errors made by the hallucination group in Allen (2007)?


  This group made more errors compared to the control group.
• What structural change is observed in the brains of some patients with schizophrenia?


  Patients have less brain tissue.
• What enlargement has been observed in the cerebral ventricles of some schizophrenia patients?


  Enlargement of the cerebral ventricles by 15% larger.
• What did post-mortem studies reveal about brain cells in schizophrenia patients?


  Changes in the amount and distribution of brain cells in some people with schizophrenia.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence supporting neural correlates in schizophrenia?


  Strengths:

  • Evidence to support neural correlates
  • Scientific testing of brain areas using scans

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Uncertainty about cause and effect
  • No single area of the brain seems to cause schizophrenia
  • Evidence is inconsistent