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Abnormal angular gyrus asymmetry in schizophrenia
M Niznikiewicz1, R Donnino, R W McCarley
1Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, VA Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Brockton, MA 02301, USA.
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|March 4, 2000
Summary
Schizophrenia patients exhibit reversed asymmetry in the inferior parietal lobule, specifically the angular gyrus. This brain region is crucial for language and thought, offering insights into schizophrenia
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- The parietal lobe, particularly the inferior parietal lobule, plays a key role in attention, memory, and language.
- These cognitive functions are often impaired in schizophrenia.
- The inferior parietal lobule is part of the heteromodal association cortex and the semantic-lexical network.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate volume and asymmetry of parietal lobe gyri in schizophrenia using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- To specifically examine the inferior parietal lobule and angular gyrus, critical for language and thought.
Main Methods:
- Acquired MRI scans from 15 male chronic schizophrenic patients and 15 matched controls.
- Analyzed volume and asymmetry of individual parietal lobe gyri.
Main Results:
- Comparison subjects showed leftward asymmetry in the inferior parietal lobule (left 7.0% larger).
- Schizophrenic subjects displayed reversed asymmetry (left 6.3% smaller).
- The angular gyrus accounted for this difference, with normal left-greater-than-right asymmetry in controls but not in schizophrenic patients.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia is associated with reversed asymmetry in the inferior parietal lobule, localized to the angular gyrus.
- This finding enhances understanding of the neural basis of language and thought disorders in schizophrenia.