Misperceiving Momentum: Computational Mechanisms of Biased Striatal Reward Prediction Errors in Bipolar Disorder

Dysregulated reward processing and mood instability are core features of bipolar disorder that have largely been considered separately, with contradictory findings. We sought to test a mechanistic account that emphasizes an excessive tendency in bipolar disorder to enter recursive cycles in which reward perception is biased by signals that the environment may be changing for the better or worse.