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No evidence for left superior temporal dysfunction in asymptomatic schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

PET study of verbal fluency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Stephen Dye ,
Sean Spence ,
Christopher Bench ,
Steven Hirsch ,
Martin Stefan ,
Tonmoy Sharma  and
Paul Grasby
Stephen Dye*
Affiliation:
Psychological Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross Hospital, London
Sean Spence
Affiliation:
Psychological Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross Hospital, London
Christopher Bench
Affiliation:
Psychological Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross Hospital, London
Steven Hirsch
Affiliation:
Psychological Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross Hospital, London
Martin Stefan
Affiliation:
Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge
Tonmoy Sharma
Affiliation:
Section of Cognitive Psychopharmacology, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London
Paul Grasby
Affiliation:
MRC Cyclotron Unit, Division of Neuroscience and Hammersmith Hospital, London
*
Dr Stephen Dye, Department of Psychiatry, Imperial College School of Medicine, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Rd, London W6 8RF. E-mail: s.dye@ic.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background

Positron emission tomography (PET) studies have revealed functional left superior temporal gyrus (STG) abnormalities in symptomatic schizophrenia during word generation.

Aims

To discover if this dysfunction is present in asymptomatic schizophrenia. To determine whether, without concurrent symptomatology, schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (BPD) are distinguishable by differing regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) patterns during word generation.

Method

A PETverbal fluency protocol was applied to six patients with BPD in remission and six patients with asymptomatic schizophrenia. Analysis included 10 control subjects from a contemporaneous study.

Results

All groups showed relative reduction of rCBF in both superior temporal cortices. There were no quantitative differences in any group comparison. All groups exhibited negative covariation between rCBF in left prefrontal and right (but not left) temporal regions.

Conclusions

Abnormal patterns of left STG function cannot be regarded as a trait marker for schizophrenia. Functional abnormalities may reflect aspects of mental state.

Information

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 175 , Issue 4 , October 1999 , pp. 367 - 374
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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Footnotes

Declaration of interest

Project funded by the Wellcome Trust.

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