Altered Top-Down Modulation of Electrodermal Responses in Psychosis Risk Symptoms

Individuals with psychosis risk symptoms exhibit disruptions in emotional regulation, which are linked to impaired social functioning and clinical symptoms. A recent study conducted at Northwestern University investigated the intentional regulation of electrodermal responding in individuals with psychosis risk symptoms. The research involved 70 participants who underwent a paradigm examining electrodermal responding during unwarned and instructed regulation of a sudden auditory stimulus. The findings suggest that individuals with psychosis risk symptoms exhibit altered top-down modulation of electrodermal responses, indicating reduced physiology-emotion coherence.

Key Takeaways:

• The study highlights the importance of emotional regulation in psychotic disorders, with disruptions in emotion regulation linked to impaired social functioning and clinical symptoms.
• The research found that individuals with psychosis risk symptoms exhibit altered top-down modulation of electrodermal responses, suggesting reduced physiology-emotion coherence.
• The study's findings suggest that top-down regulation of autonomic arousal may be a target of interest for intervention in individuals at-risk for psychosis.
• Jessica Fattal, a researcher at Northwestern University, emphasized the need to investigate the relationship between emotional regulation and psychosis risk symptoms.
• Additional authors contributing to the study include Ajay Nadig, Ivanka Ristanovic, K. Juston Osborne, Claudia M. Haase, and Vijay A. Mittal.
• The research provides new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying psychosis risk symptoms, highlighting the potential for top-down regulation as a therapeutic approach.

Statistics:

• 70 participants completed the paradigm examining electrodermal responding during unwarned and instructed regulation of a sudden auditory stimulus.
• The study found that participants with psychosis risk symptoms exhibited altered top-down modulation of electrodermal responses, with reduced rate of non-specific skin conductance responses (W 3034, p 3015).
• The research suggests that top-down regulation of autonomic arousal may be a target of interest for intervention in individuals at-risk for psychosis.

Sources:

• Altered top-down modulation of electrodermal responses to sudden auditory stimuli in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 2025;285:304-312.
• Schizophrenia Research can be contacted at: Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• NewsRx. New Data from Northwestern University Illuminate Findings in Psychosis (Altered top-down modulation of electrodermal responses to sudden auditory stimuli in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis). Mental Health Weekly Digest. October 27, 2025; p 464.