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Left posterior superior temporal gyrus and its structural connectivity in schizophrenia
Hitoshi Sasaki1, Manabu Kubota2, Jun Miyata3
1Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Address: 54 Shogoin-kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Sasaki Clinic, Address: #2F Patio-Okamoto 3-3-14 Motoyamakita-machi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 658-0003, Japan.
Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging
|January 11, 2025
Summary
Schizophrenia patients show altered white matter (WM) connectivity in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) pathways. These findings support theories linking inner speech and interhemispheric disconnection to schizophrenia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- The left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) is implicated in schizophrenia pathophysiology.
- Its structural white matter (WM) connectivity remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess WM connectivity of the left pSTG with Broca's area, thalamus, and right pSTG in schizophrenia.
- To explore correlations between connectivity, pSTG volume, and clinical symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-weighted imaging and T1-weighted MRI were used.
- Eighty-three patients with schizophrenia and 141 healthy controls participated.
- Probabilistic tractography analyzed left pSTG pathways.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients exhibited reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in left pSTG-Broca and left-right pSTG pathways.
- No significant difference in left pSTG-thalamus pathway FA was observed.
- Lower FA correlated with smaller left pSTG volume and greater positive symptom severity.
Conclusions:
- Fiber-specific WM alterations linked to the left pSTG are present in schizophrenia.
- Findings may support "inner speech" and "interhemispheric disconnection" hypotheses.
- Structural connectivity deficits offer insights into schizophrenia mechanisms.
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