The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 194: 130-138. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.045633
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow View responses
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Related articles in BJP
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Horn, H.
Right arrow Articles by Strik, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Horn, H.
Right arrow Articles by Strik, W.

Structural and metabolic changes in language areas linked to formal thought disorder

Helge Horn*, Andrea Federspiel*, Miranka Wirth and Thomas J. Müller

University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Switzerland

Roland Wiest

Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Bern, Switzerland

Jiong-Jiong Wang

Center for Functional Neuroimaging, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

Werner Strik

University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Switzerland

Correspondence: Dr Helge Horn, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Bolligenstrasse 111, CH-3000, Bern 60, Switzerland. Email: horn{at}puk.unibe.ch

Declaration of interest

None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

* These authors contributed equally to the work.

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.


Related articles in BJP:

Attitudes towards clinical services among people who self-harm: systematic review
Tatiana L. Taylor, Keith Hawton, Sarah Fortune, and Navneet Kapur
BJP 2009 194: 104-110. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

From the Editor's desk
Peter Tyrer
BJP 2009 194: 198. [Full Text]  

Highlights of this issue
Kimberlie Dean
BJP 2009 194: A7. [Full Text]  



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Br. J. PsychiatryHome page
L. Palaniyappan
Neural correlates of formal thought disorder
The British Journal of Psychiatry, July 1, 2009; 195(1): 85 - 85.
[Full Text] [PDF]

eLetters:

Read all eLetters

Neural correlates of formal thought disorder
Lena Palaniyappan
BJP Online, 19 Feb 2009 [Full text]
Re: Neural correlates of formal thought disorder
Helge Horn, et al.
BJP Online, 17 Apr 2009 [Full text]