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Psychiatry7 papers

Anomaly of divergence

Last edited: 4/10/2026

Overview

An anomaly of divergence refers to deficits in processing prediction errors, which are discrepancies between expected and actual outcomes 1. This is crucial for adaptive decision-making under uncertainty 1.

Diagnosis

  • Abnormal prediction error processing has been observed in schizophrenia and depression 1.
  • Studies investigating prediction error processing in these conditions have utilized meta-analyses 1.
  • Positive prediction error t-maps tend to show striatal activity in both schizophrenia and depression 1.
  • Negative prediction error t-maps reveal distinct patterns: right superior and inferior frontal lobes in schizophrenia, and medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral insula in depression 1.
  • Concordant posterior cingulate activity is observed in both patient groups, being more prominent in depression and absent in healthy controls 1.
  • Management

  • Findings suggest a possible role for dopamine-rich areas in encoding prediction errors in depression and schizophrenia 1. (No specific management strategies are detailed in the provided abstracts.)
  • Key Recommendations

  • Prediction error processing deficits are present in schizophrenia and depression, with distinct neural correlates 1. (Evidence: Moderate)
  • Striatal activity is associated with positive prediction errors in both schizophrenia and depression 1. (Evidence: Moderate)
  • Negative prediction errors are associated with differential frontal and insular activity in schizophrenia and depression, respectively 1. (Evidence: Moderate)
  • References

    1 Yaple ZA, Tolomeo S, Yu R. Abnormal prediction error processing in schizophrenia and depression. Human brain mapping 2021. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
      Abnormal prediction error processing in schizophrenia and depression.Yaple ZA, Tolomeo S, Yu R Human brain mapping (2021)

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