Horn, Helge; Federspiel, Andrea; Wirth, Miranka; Müller, Thomas J; Wiest, Roland; Wang, Jiong-Jiong; Strik, Werner (2009). Structural and metabolic changes in language areas linked to formal thought disorder. British journal of psychiatry, 194(2), pp. 130-8. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.045633
Full text not available from this repository.BACKGROUND: The role of the language network in the pathophysiology of formal thought disorder has yet to be elucidated. AIMS: To investigate whether specific grey-matter deficits in schizophrenic formal thought disorder correlate with resting perfusion in the left-sided language network. METHOD: We investigated 13 right-handed patients with schizophrenia and formal thought disorder of varying severity and 13 matched healthy controls, using voxel-based morphometry and magnetic resonance imaging perfusion measurement (arterial spin labelling). RESULTS: We found positive correlations between perfusion and the severity of formal thought disorder in the left frontal and left temporoparietal language areas. We also observed bilateral deficits in grey-matter volume, positively correlated with the severity of thought disorder in temporoparietal areas and other brain regions. The results of the voxel-based morphometry and the arterial spin labelling measurements overlapped in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus and left angular gyrus. CONCLUSIONS: Specific grey-matter deficits may be a risk factor for state-related dysfunctions of the left-sided language system, leading to local hyperperfusion and formal thought disorder.