Association between reduced extraversion and right posterior fusiform gyrus gray matter reduction in chronic schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the association between volume of the fusiform gyrus, a region involved in face processing, and the personality trait of extraversion in patients with schizophrenia.


METHODS
Male patients (N=24) and age-matched male comparison subjects (N=26) completed NEO Five-Factor Inventory personality measures of extraversion and underwent high-spatial-resolution magnetic resonance imaging of anterior and posterior fusiform gyrus gray matter.


RESULTS
Low extraversion scores were significantly correlated with gray matter volume reductions in the right posterior fusiform gyrus for patients but not comparison subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Reduced right posterior fusiform gyrus volume may contribute to disease-related social disturbances, characterized by both low extraversion and reduced sensitivity to human faces.
Onitsuka
Toshiaki
T
Department of Psychiatry, Boston VA Healthcare System-Brockton Division, Harvard Medical School, 940 Belmont St., Brockton, MA 02301, USA.
Nestor
Paul G
PG
Gurrera
Ronald J
RJ
Shenton
Martha E
ME
Kasai
Kiyoto
K
Frumin
Melissa
M
Niznikiewicz
Margaret A
MA
McCarley
Robert W
RW
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D020238:Prosopagnosia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000503:physiopathology
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