Abstract
To address prior reports that schizophrenia is associated with loss of normal brain asymmetry and that it might be linked to a defect of a gene controlling cerebral laterization, we measured on three-dimensional cortical renderings from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans the lengths and angles of the sylvian fissures in 10 normal monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs (n = 10 pairs) and in 10 MZ pairs discordant for schizophrenia (n = 10 pairs). We confirmed in both sets of twins the expected normal asymmetries of length and angle of the sylvian fissure. We also confirmed that the length asymmetry occurs solely in the region of the planum temporale. In the discordant twins, affected and unaffected twins did not differ in asymmetry measures, thus failing to support an association between illness per se and diminished asymmetry. Moreover, the discordant twins as a group did not differ from the normal twins as a group, thus failing to confirm the hypothesis of a genetic association with abnormal asymmetry. The implications of variations in methodology and patient samples are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 853-863 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Biological psychiatry |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 15 1993 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Sylvian fissure
- genetics
- laterality
- magnetic resonance imaging
- monozygotic twins
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biological Psychiatry