Neural correlates of urban risk environments

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 dysregulation and the pathogenesis of psychosis. Mentalizing and sensory gating deficits are discussed as alternative mechanisms that could account for the negative effects of the city on mental health.