Often dismissed as irrational or overblown concerns, paranoia stems from our very rational ability to keep our wits about us in chaotic environments.
Being able to adapt quickly helps you survive when circumstances change. However, at the extreme, there is a delusional belief in the bad intentions of others. Can become socially isolatedIt robs people of their ability to have healthy relationships and hold down jobs.
Researchers led by Yale psychiatrists Praveen Suthaharan and Summer Thompson analyzed the results of a simple test in male rhesus macaques and a group of human volunteers to better understand why some brains are more likely to jump into the shadows than others. .
Stochastic reversal learning (PRL) In the task, testing centered on preference choices for reward opportunities, such as food for monkeys and points for humans.
Different symbols confer different chances of success, so when presented with three choices on the screen, subjects were given the opportunity to learn which symbol was most likely to result in a reward.
When subjects thought they had it all figured out after half a test run, the results of the test were reversed, with the luckiest symbols paying out rewards less often and the unluckiest symbols now becoming the optimal choice.
“So the participants need to figure out what the best goal is, and when a change in the environment is detected, the participants need to find a new best goal.” Called Yale University psychologist Steve Jang.
Six of the 20 monkeys had previously undergone neurological procedures in a separate study; dorsal thalamic nucleus – areas thought to play a role in planning, abstract thinking, and organization – or Areas of the prefrontal cortex Participate in decision making.
Volunteers, on the other hand, had to complete a Thought Scale questionnaire to assess their level of paranoia and a second survey to check for signs of depression.
By analyzing the behavior of monkeys and humans before and after the switch occurred and comparing the results with survey results, the research team determined which of the brain regions disrupted affected the monkeys’ ability to cool-headedly navigate the volatile game environment. I was able to determine if I could do it. .
“Not only did we use data from monkeys and humans performing the same task, but we applied the same computational analysis to both data sets.” Called Yale University psychiatrist Philip Corlett.
The data show that the location of the magnocellular thalamus (MDmc) within the dorsal thalamic nucleus and the orbitofrontal cortex (known as Walker’s areas 11, 13, and 14) both influence the monkey’s behavior after the test switch in subtly different ways. indicates.
Among people with impairments in the walker domain, sudden loss of compensation had little effect on switching decisions. The monkeys kept tapping with reckless abandon on what they thought was their ‘winning’ ticket.
Those with impaired MDmc showed the exact opposite behavior, switching back and forth even after discovering that a new ‘high probability’ symbol was paying a reward, as if they suspected the system had been personally rigged against them.
This was similar to behavior observed in humans whose survey responses indicated higher levels of paranoia.
Delusions and paranoid behavior are undoubtedly complex behaviors that involve diverse thinking and different regions of the brain, but tracing the boundaries between specific regions and erratic decision-making can inform future research that may lead to new treatments, or some It can help you better understand how things behave. Increases risk of psychosis.
“Perhaps we can use this to find new ways to reduce paranoia in humans.” Called page.
This study cell report.
