Functional connectivity of the ventral tegmental area and avolition in subjects with schizophrenia: a resting state functional MRI study

In this study we tested the hypothesis that avolition is related to altered connectivity within dopaminergic cortico-striatal circuits involved in motivation processes. Since dopamine input to these circuits derives mostly from the ventro-tegmental area (VTA), we investigated the relationships between the resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) of the VTA and avolition in twenty-six subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ), treated with second-generation antipsychotics only, compared to twenty-two healthy controls (HC).
Source: European Neuropsychopharmacology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Source Type: research