Emory University
This study aims to illuminate the biological underpinnings of negative symptoms in schizophrenia-particularly motivational impairments-by probing the link between systemic inflammation and neural activity in reward-related brain circuits. The primary goal of this study is to determine: * Ventral Striatum Activation: Assess how reward anticipation engages the ventral striatum in individuals with schizophrenia, both before and after an anti-inflammatory intervention. * Anterior Insula Activation: Examine how increasing effort demands modulate activity in the anterior insula under the same conditions.
Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling mental illness that affects over 20 million people globally. One of its most debilitating aspects is a group of symptoms known as negative symptoms, which include reduced motivation, pleasure, and social engagement. Among these, amotivation-or the lack of drive to pursue rewarding activities-is particularly damaging, as it contributes to poor quality of life and limited recovery. Current medications do not effectively treat these symptoms, underscoring the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. Emerging research suggests that inflammation may play…
Inclusion Criteria: * Men or women, 18-55 years of age with a primary diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder; * Willing and able to give written informed consent; * Plasma CRP ≥2 mg/L; * Significant motivational deficit as reflected by a score \>17 on the Motivation and Pleasure Domain of the Brief Negative Symptom Scale. Of note, for patients who exhibit CRP\>10mg/L, additional CRP testing will be conducted at 2-week intervals as per American Heart Association/ Center for Disease and Control Prevention guidelines t…
Infliximab has FDA approval for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel syndrome. The current proposal represents the use of infliximab as an experimental tool to dissect the role of inflammatory processes leading to changes in brain reward circuitry and changes in specific symptom domains. Double-blinded infusions of infliximab will be administered in the GCTSA Clinical Research Center, located at Emory University Hospital. Independent pharmacists will dispense either infliximab or placebo in a 250ml saline bag according to a computer-generated randomization list provided by the study pharmacist.
Double-blinded infusions of saline will be administered in the GCTSA Clinical Research Center, located at Emory University Hospital. Independent pharmacists will dispense either infliximab or placebo in a 250ml saline bag according to a computer-generated randomization list provided by the study pharmacist.
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