title: Reduced cortical thickness in right Heschl's gyrus associated with auditory verbal hallucinations severity in first-episode schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) represent one of the most intriguing phenomena in schizophrenia, however, brain abnormalities underlying AVHs remain unclear. The present study examined the association between cortical thickness and AVHs in first-episode schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  High-resolution MR images were obtained in 49 first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and 50 well-matched healthy controls (HCs). Among the FES patients, 18 suffered persistent AVHs ("auditory hallucination" AH group), and 31 never experienced AVHs ("no hallucination" NH group). The severity of AVHs was rated by the Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale (AHRS). Cortical thickness differences among the three groups and their association with AVHs severity were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to both HCs and NH patients, AH patients showed lower cortical thickness in the right Heschl's gyrus. The degree of reduction in the cortical thickness was correlated with AVH severity in the AH patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormalities of cortical thickness in the Heschl's gyrus may be a physiological factor underlying auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China. 15874189941@163.com.
authors.forename: Xudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analysis Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China. liangsx@ihep.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Shengxiang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Medical Psychological Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China. pulv1128@126.com.
authors.forename: Weidan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analysis Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China. songyn@ihep.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yinnan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China. mwansisya@yahoo.co.uk.|Department of Clinical Nursing and Community Health, the University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania. mwansisya@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Tumbwene E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Mwansisya
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. qing.yang@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Center of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China. liu9fish@163.com.
authors.forename: Haihong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China. zningl@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhening
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analysis Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China. shanbc@ihep.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Baoci
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People's Republic of China. x.zhimin@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult