Why people with schizophrenia have trouble anticipating pleasure
Official title: Computational Dissection of Neural Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Anticipatory Anhedonia in Schizophrenia
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11248392 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses computer-based brain models and brain scans to understand why people with schizophrenia often don’t feel pleasure when they expect a reward.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | December 16, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $721,645 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH136214-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248392 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with schizophrenia who report reduced pleasure in anticipating rewards and who can complete behavioral testing and MRI scans are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without schizophrenia, those whose symptoms are not related to reward anticipation, or anyone unable to undergo MRI scanning are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
Researchers will combine computational models from behavioral economics with a new task that measures how people expect and value future rewards. They will record brain activity using task-based fMRI while people complete the task to find the neural circuits linked to reduced reward anticipation. The team validated parts of this approach in healthy volunteers and will now apply the paradigm to people with schizophrenia to link anticipatory anhedonia with cognitive problems. Results will aim to produce measurable brain and behavior markers that could guide future treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to specific brain circuits and measurable signals to target for new treatments for anticipatory anhedonia in schizophrenia.
How similar studies have gone: Related computational and fMRI methods have been validated in healthy volunteers, but applying them specifically to anticipatory anhedonia in schizophrenia is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Iigaya, Kiyohito — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Iigaya, Kiyohito
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.