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Left planum temporale volume reduction in schizophrenia
J S Kwon1, R W McCarley, Y Hirayasu
1Department of Psychiatry, Brockton Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass 02401, USA.
Archives of General Psychiatry
|February 20, 1999
Summary
Schizophrenia patients exhibit reduced gray matter in the left planum temporale, reversing typical asymmetry. This brain abnormality may link to language deficits and paranoid symptoms in schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Brain Anatomy
Background:
- The planum temporale is a temporal lobe region crucial for language.
- Abnormalities in this area are potentially linked to schizophrenia pathophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of planum temporale abnormalities in schizophrenia.
- To measure gray matter volume in the planum temporale using MRI.
Main Methods:
- 16 male patients with chronic schizophrenia and 16 age/sex/handedness-matched controls.
- High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on a 1.5-T magnet.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients had significantly reduced left planum temporale gray matter (28.2%).
- A reversal of the typical left-greater-than-right planum temporale asymmetry was observed in patients.
- No significant differences in Heschl's gyrus (primary auditory cortex) asymmetry were found.
Conclusions:
- Reduced left planum temporale gray matter and reversed asymmetry are characteristic of schizophrenia.
- These findings suggest a potential link to impaired language processing and paranoid symptoms.