City Research Online

Abstract

Epidemiological studies suggest that the association between urbanicity and psychosis might be explained by social deprivation, lack of social capital, cohesion and trust, and being part of a minority group. Besides, urbanicity is also associated with pollution, noise, and lack of green space, which have a negative impact on health outcomes. This chapter reviews the neuroimaging literature on brain function, structure, and connectivity in relation to urbanicity. Research in patients with psychosis has shown associations of urbanicity with brain functioning, rather than structure or connectivity. Neuroimaging research in healthy individuals supports altered social stress processing as a possible explanatory mechanism. Altered reward processing associated with urbanicity supports the possible influence of urbanicity on dopamine disregulation and the pathogenesis of psychosis. Mentalising and sensory gating deficits are discussed as alternative mechanisms that could account for the negative effects of the city on mental health.

Publication Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press https://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780190653279.001.0001/med-9780190653279-chapter-51
Publisher Keywords:	Medical
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GA Mathematical geography. Cartography G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography H Social Sciences > HM Sociology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Psychology

Export

Downloads