Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39909851›Full record

ArticlePsychological medicine2025

Probabalistic reinforcement learning impairments predict negative symptom severity and risk for conversion in youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis.

Lauren Luther, Ian M Raugh, Gregory P Strauss

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychological medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Investigating hierarchical critical periods in human neurodevelopment.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lauren LutherDepartment of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Ian M RaughDepartment of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
Gregory P StraussDepartment of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundElucidation of transphasic mechanisms (i.e., mechanisms that occur across illness phases) underlying negative symptoms could inform early intervention and prevention efforts and additionally identify treatment targets that could be effective regardless of illness stage. This study examined whether a key reinforcement learning behavioral pattern characterized by reduced difficulty learning from rewards that have been found to underlie negative symptoms in those with a schizophrenia diagnosis also contributes to negative symptoms in those at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis.

methodsCHR youth (

resultsIn acquisition, CHR participants displayed impaired learning from gains specifically that were associated with greater negative symptom severity. Transfer performance indicated these acquisition deficits were largely driven by value representation deficits. In addition to negative symptoms, this profile of deficits was associated with a greater risk of conversion to psychosis and lower functioning.

conclusionsImpairments in positive reinforcement learning, specifically effectively representing reward value, may be an important transphasic mechanism of negative symptoms and a marker of psychosis liability.

Indexed as

Psychotic DisordersReinforcement, PsychologyAdolescentFemaleHumansMaleRewardSeverity of Illness IndexTransfer, PsychologyYoung Adultanhedoniaasocialityattenuated psychosis syndromeavolitionreward learningultra-high-risk

Identifiers

PMID39909851
PMCPMC12017368

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.