The social neuroscience of psychosis: From neurobiology to neurotherapeutics

Abstract

Psychotic disorders form the core of severe mental illnesses and contribute to substantial disability and health-care costs worldwide. A growing research framework to understand and treat psychotic symptoms using a transdiagnostic paradigm is the social brain perspective of psychoses. The theme of my oration is to highlight how the growing knowledge of evolutionarily preserved social brain networks can help integrate social contextual, psychological, and neurobiological aspects of the genesis of psychotic symptoms and use that knowledge in a translational manner to identify potential therapeutic avenues that extend beyond conventional treatments. The concepts and empirical study of social cognition, social brain (e.g., mirror neuron system), social behaviors (e.g., symptoms and real-world functioning) are illustrated. These give insights into potential newer therapies with brain stimulation, oxytocin, and yoga.