Reduced superior temporal gyrus volume in young offspring of patients with schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
The superior temporal gyrus, a heteromodal auditory and language association cortex, has been found to be smaller in patients with schizophrenia than in normal subjects. However, genetic and/or neurodevelopmental underpinnings of superior temporal gyrus alterations are unknown. Nonpsychotic children with greater genetic risk for schizophrenia exhibit language deficits. The authors studied the superior temporal gyrus in nonpsychotic children at risk for schizophrenia.


METHODS
Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the right and left superior temporal gyrus of 29 young nonpsychotic subjects who had a parent with schizophrenia and 27 age- and sex-matched comparison subjects who had no family psychiatric history.


RESULTS
After controlling for age and intracranial volume, the authors found that the volumes of the right and left superior temporal gyrus of the subjects at risk for schizophrenia were significantly smaller than those of the comparison subjects. Comparison subjects, but not at-risk subjects, showed an inverse correlation between age and left superior temporal gyrus volume.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide new evidence that superior temporal gyrus abnormalities may result from genetically mediated developmental deviance reflecting greater susceptibility to schizophrenia. Further studies and follow-up will lead to greater understanding of the role of the superior temporal gyrus in the premorbid vulnerability to schizophrenia.
Rajarethinam
Rajaprabhakaran
R
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA. rrajaret@med.wayne.edu
Sahni
Sarah
S
Rosenberg
David R
DR
Keshavan
Macheri S
MS
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology*