Cognitive and Neural Processes in the Pathway to Psychosis | C4C

The main aim of this project is to examine differences in cognitive appraisals of anomalous experiences and different facial emotions at a cognitive and neural level between individuals with psychotic symptoms with a need for care versus those without a need for care. The primary research questions are as follows: 1. Can tasks designed to demonstrate differences in appraisals between these two groups be adapted for use in an fMRI environment? 2. Can these modified tasks be validated by finding differences in appraisals of anomalous experiences and facial expressions in the target populations (‘need for care’ vs. ‘non-need for care’)? 3. Do ‘need for care’ participants with remitted symptoms display significantly different appraisals than ‘need for care’ participants with ongoing symptoms? 4. Are there different patterns of brain activation between individuals with psychotic experiences with and without a need for care while carrying out the tasks, and in addition, during implicit processing of facial emotions?