Language pathway abnormalities in schizophrenia: a review of fMRI and other imaging studies.
OBJECTIVE
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder with substantial genetic vulnerability. This review discusses recent neuroimaging studies reporting on impairment in brain functioning relevant to language processing in individuals with schizophrenia and those who are at a genetic risk for its development.


RESULTS
Studies have shown that schizophrenia is associated with deficits in language function, as well as structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions that are involved with language perception and processing. Individuals who are at genetic high risk for schizophrenia also have structural and functional deficits in brain pathways for language processing. These studies consistently suggest that the normal pattern of left hemisphere dominance of language processing is significantly disturbed.


CONCLUSIONS
This review suggests that future studies should examine the underlying mechanism for producing this disturbance in language processing and that prospective studies should be carried out that aim to follow individuals over time to determine whether these anomalies eventually lead to clinical symptoms of schizophrenia.
Li
Xiaobo
X
Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA. xli@nki.rfmh.org
Branch
Craig A
CA
DeLisi
Lynn E
LE
D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012564:Schizophrenic Language; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology