Cognitive Control Neural Correlates of Negative Affective in Psychosis Spectrum Disorders: A Laboratory and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum (SZ) and bipolar-spectrum disorders (BD) report experiencing heightened negative affect (NA), which can be operationalized as stable traits and dynamic states. While cognitive control is a potential underlying mechanism, identifying neural underpinning of NA has been challenging. This could be due to the lack of such investigation, but also a comprehensive framework to investigate the association specificity. Data were collected from 105 participants (34 SZ, 34 BD, 37 healthy control [HC]) on the five-factor model of personality traits, cognitive control electroencephalography (EEG), and self-reported mood and contexts via ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Cognitive control indices of EEG were extracted as event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency theta-band activities from three flanker tasks varying in valence (neutral, unpleasant, and pleasant). Participants with SZ and BD generally reported higher NA traits, lower Extraversion, lower Conscientiousness traits, higher Psychoticism, and high average and fluctuation in EMA NA-related experiences than HC participants. Participants with SZ experienced more EMA unpleasant events, were more upset by them, and put more effort into avoiding them. EEG theta-band power from the arrow task was associated mostly with NA-related traits and tendency, and theta-band power from the unpleasant task was associated with EMA unpleasant event occurrence and reactions. ERPs and theta phase activities did not relate to any traits or daily experiences, and no other traits and experiences were related to EEG measures. Cognitive control EEG theta-band power was associated with trait and state NA specifically, potentially reflecting a transdiagnostic indicator of cognitive control and neural mechanism underlying stress-vulnerability in SZ and BD.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213900819