Unexpected uncertainty can breed paranoia

Date:
June 9, 2020
Source:
Yale University
Summary:
In times of unexpected uncertainty, such as the sudden appearance
of a global pandemic, people may be more prone to paranoia,
new researchers.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In times of unexpected uncertainty, such as the sudden appearance of a
global pandemic, people may be more prone to paranoia, Yale University researchers suggest in a new study published in the journal eLife.


========================================================================== "When our world changes unexpectedly, we want to blame that volatility on somebody, to make sense of it, and perhaps neutralize it,'' said Yale's
Philip Corlett, associate professor of psychiatry and senior author of
the study.

"Historically in times of upheaval, such as the great fire of ancient
Rome in 64 C.E. or the 9/11 terrorist attacks, paranoia and conspiratorial thinking increased." Paranoia is a key symptom of serious mental illness, marked by the belief that other people have malicious intentions. But
it also manifests in varying degrees in the general population. For
instance, one previous survey found that 20% of the population believed
people were against them at some time during the past year; 8% believed
that others were actively out to harm them.

The prevailing theory is that paranoia stems from an inability to
accurately assess social threats. But Corlett and lead author Erin Reed
of Yale hypothesized that paranoia is instead rooted in a more basic
learning mechanism that is triggered by uncertainty, even in the absence
of social threat.

"We think of the brain as a prediction machine; unexpected change, whether social or not, may constitute a type of threat -- it limits the brain's
ability to make predictions," Reed said. "Paranoia may be a response
to uncertainty in general, and social interactions can be particularly
complex and difficult to predict." In a series of experiments, they asked subjects with different degrees of paranoia to play a card game in which
the best choices for success were changed secretly. People with little or
no paranoia were slow to assume that the best choice had changed. However, those with paranoia expected even more volatility in the game. They
changed their choices capriciously -- even after a win. The researchers
then increased the levels of uncertainty by changing the chances of
winning halfway through the game without telling the participants. This
sudden change made even the low-paranoia participants behave like those
with paranoia, learning less from the consequences of their choices.

In a related experiment, Yale collaborators Jane Taylor and Stephanie
Groman trained rats, a relatively asocial species, to complete a similar
task where best choices of success changed. Rats who were administered methamphetamine - - known to induce paranoia in humans -- behaved just
like paranoid humans.

They, too, anticipated high volatility and relied more on their
expectations than learning from the task.

Reed, Corlett and their team then used a mathematical model to compare
choices made by rats and humans while performing these similar tasks. The results from the rats that received methamphetamine resembled those of
humans with paranoia, researchers found.

"Our hope is that this work will facilitate a mechanistic explanation of paranoia, a first step in the development of new treatments that target
those underlying mechanisms," Corlett said.

"The benefit of seeing paranoia through a non-social lens is that we can
study these mechanisms in simpler systems, without needing to recapitulate
the richness of human social interaction," Reed said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Yale_University. Original written
by Bill Hathaway. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Erin J Reed, Stefan Uddenberg, Praveen Suthaharan, Christoph
D Mathys,
Jane R Taylor, Stephanie Mary Groman, Philip R Corlett. Paranoia
as a deficit in non-social belief updating. eLife, 2020; 9 DOI:
10.7554/ eLife.56345 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200609144446.htm

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