TEMPORAL-LOBE LENGTH IS REDUCED, AND GYRAL FOLDING IS INCREASED IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - A POSTMORTEM STUDY

This post-mortem study of the brains of 29 controls and 25 patients wi th schizophrenia investigated the length and gyral folding of the temp oral lobes, and the asymmetries and inter-relationships of these two m easures. The degree of gyral folding was significantly increased in sc hizophrenia (p=0.002), but the orientation of the sulci was not change d (p=0.420). Neither gender nor side affected any of the measures of g yral anatomy, nor were there any significant interactions of these var iables with diagnosis. The temporal lobes were significantly shortened in schizophrenia, on two different measures (p = 0.009, and p = 0.001 ), and on one of these, females had shorter temporal lobes than males (p<0.0005). No diagnosis x side interactions were found. The temporal- lobe shortening remained after controlling for brain weight and was no t statistically related to gyral folding. These two structural changes may reflect an alteration of the cortico-cortical connectivity of the brain in schizophrenia. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.