Gender differences in temporal lobe structures of patients with schizophrenia: A volumetric MRI study

Objective: The temporal lobe and associated structures have been previously implicated in the neuroanatomy of schizophrenia. This study was designed t o assess the potential influence of gender on the morphology of temporal ro be structures, including the superior temporal gyrus and the amygdala/hippo campal complex, in patients with schizophrenia and to examine whether schiz ophrenic patients differ morphologically in these structures from compariso n subjects. Method: Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the volu me of temporal lobe structures, including the superior temporal gyrus, the amygdala/hippocampal complex, and the temporal lobe (excluding the volumes of the superior temporal gyrus and amygdala/hippocampal complex), and two c omparison areas-the prefrontal cortex and caudate-in 36 male and 23 female patients with schizophrenia and 19 male and 18 female comparison subjects. Results: There was a significant main effect of diagnosis in the superior t emporal gyrus and the amygdala/hippocampal complex, with smaller volumes in patients than in comparison subjects. There was a significant gender-by-di agnosis-by-hemisphere interaction for temporal lobe volume. Temporal lobe v olume on the left was significantly smaller in male patients than in male c omparison subjects. Female patients and female comparison subjects demonstr ated no significant difference in temporal lobe volume. There were no stati stically significant gender interactions for the superior temporal gyrus, t he amygdala/hippocampal complex, or the comparison regions. Conclusions: Th ese findings suggest that there may be a unique interaction between gender and the pathophysiologic processes that lead to altered temporal lobe volum e in patients with schizophrenia.