Statistical Learning and Inference Is Impaired in the Nonclinical Continuum of Psychosis

Abstract

Our perceptions result from the brain's ability to make inferences, or predictive models, of sensory information. Recently, it has been proposed that psychotic traits may be linked to impaired predictive processes. Here, we examine the brain dynamics underlying statistical learning and inference in stable and volatile environments, in a population of healthy human individuals ( N = 75; 36 males, 39 females) with a range of psychotic-like experiences. We measured prediction error responses to sound sequences with electroencephalography, gauged sensory inference explicitly by behaviorally recording sensory statistical learning errors, and used dynamic causal modeling to tap into the underlying neural circuitry. We discuss the findings that were robust to replication across the two experiments (Discovery dataset, N = 31; Validation dataset, N = 44). First, we found that during stable conditions, participants demonstrated greater precision in their predictive model, reflected in a larger prediction error response to unexpected sounds, and decreased statistical learning errors. Moreover, individuals with attenuated prediction errors in stable conditions were found to make greater incorrect predictions about sensory information. Critically, we show that greater errors in statistical learning and inference are related to increased psychotic-like experiences. These findings link neurophysiology to behavior during statistical learning and prediction formation, as well as providing further evidence for the idea of a continuum of psychosis in the healthy, nonclinical population.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT While perceiving the world, we make inferences by learning the statistics present in the sensory environment. It has been argued that psychosis may emerge because of a failure to learn sensory statistics, resulting in an impaired representation of the world. Recently, it has been proposed that psychosis exists on a continuum; however, there is conflicting evidence on whether sensory learning deficits align on the nonclinical end of the psychosis continuum. We found that statistical learning of sensory events is associated with the magnitude of mismatch negativity and, critically, is impaired in healthy people who report more psychotic-like experiences. We replicated these findings in an independent sample, demonstrating strengthened credibility to support the continuum of psychosis that extends into the nonclinical population.