title: Multimodal morphometry and functional magnetic resonance imaging in schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To validate a multimodal [structural and functional magnetic resonance (MR)] approach as coincidence brain clusters are hypothesized to correlate with clinical severity of auditory hallucinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two patients meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition, DSM-IV) criteria for schizophrenia and experiencing persistent hallucinations together with 28 healthy controls were evaluated with structural and functional MR imaging with an auditory paradigm designed to replicate those emotions related to the patients' hallucinatory experiences. Coincidence maps were obtained by combining structural maps of gray matter reduction with emotional functional increased activation. Abnormal areas were correlated with the brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) and the psychotic symptom rating scale (PSYRATS) scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The coincidence analysis showed areas with coexistence gray matter reductions and emotional activation in bilateral middle temporal and superior temporal gyri. Significant negative correlations between BPRS and PSYRATS scales were observed. BPRS scores were negatively correlated in the middle temporal gyrus (right) (t = 6.86, P = 0.001), while negative PSYRATS correlation affected regions in both the superior temporal gyrus (left) (t = 7.85, P = 0.001) and middle temporal gyrus (left) (t = 4.97, P = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data identify left superior and middle temporal gyri as relevant areas for the understanding of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. The use of multimodal approaches, sharing structural and functional information, may demonstrate areas specifically linked to the severity of auditory hallucinations.
authors.affiliation: Gracián García-Martí, Eduardo Jesús Aguilar, M José Escartí, Julio Sanjuán, CIBERSAM, University of Valencia, Avenue Blasco Ibañez 15, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Gracián
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: García-Martí
authors.forename: Eduardo Jesús
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martí-Bonmatí
authors.forename: M José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Escartí
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanjuán