Laterality in functional brain imaging studies of schizophrenia

Brain laterality in schizophrenia has been examined through the application of functional neuroimaging methods, These methods have included the (133)X enon technique for measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF); positron emission t omography for assessing rates of glucose metabolism, CBF, and neuroreceptor functioning; single photon emission computerized tomography fbr studying C BF and neuroreceptors; and functional magnetic resonance imaging for measur ing changes attributable to CBF, This article highlights the application of this technology in schizophrenia research, emphasizing more recent studies that have evaluated hemispheric differences, There is evidence for lateral ized abnormalities in some studies that have examined this dimension. In ge neral, the results implicate abnormalities in left hemispheric activity. Re cent advances in basic and clinical neuroscience provide an opportunity for focused application of functional imaging in neurobiological studies of sc hizophrenia.