Corpus callosum and P300 in schizophrenia

Functional abnormalities in the interhemispheric transfer via the corpus callosum in schizophrenia may result in filtering problems and information processing problems, which may in turn be related to the synchronization of cortical event-related activity. To explore whether a relationship exists between corpus callosum (CC) size, measured with in-vivo magnetic resonance imaging, and late auditory event-related P300 potentials, 50 patients with schizophrenia as well as 50 healthy controls were examined. The absolute CC size and subregional areas, as well as the CC areas adjusted for total brain volume, were not significantly different between patients with schizophrenia and controls. While no significant group differences were observed for P3a-, P3b-, PSW-amplitudes and P3b-latencies, P3a- and PSW-latencies were significantly prolonged for patients with schizophrenia. Absolute CC total size was significantly correlated with P3b-amplitudes in healthy controls (r=0.29; P=0.044). In patients with schizophrenia, significant correlations were observed between the subregion of the posterior body of the CC and positive slow wave (PSW; r=0.47; P=0.001). P3a-, P3b- and PSW-latencies were not significantly correlated to CC size in either patients with schizophrenia or healthy controls. The results are discussed in terms of the possibility that abnormalities in interhemispheric transfer may underlie the mechanisms of schizophrenia.