Sulcal pits of the superior temporal sulcus in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations

Baptiste Lerosier; Gregory Simon; Sylvain Takerkart; Guillaume Auzias; Sonia Dollfus; Baptiste Lerosier; Gregory Simon; Sylvain Takerkart; Guillaume Auzias; Sonia Dollfus

doi:10.3934/Neuroscience.2024002

AIMS Neuroscience

2024, Volume 11, Issue 1: 25-38. doi: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2024002

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Sulcal pits of the superior temporal sulcus in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations

1.
Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, ISTS, EA 7466, 14000 Caen, France
2.
Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, INT, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Marseille, France
3.
CHU de Caen, Service de Psychiatrie, 14000 Caen, France
4.
Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, UFR santé, 14000 Caen, France
5.
Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire (FHU-A²M²P), Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, UFR santé, 14000 Caen, France

Received: 27 October 2023 Revised: 16 January 2024 Accepted: 24 January 2024 Published: 31 January 2024

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are among the most common and disabling symptoms of schizophrenia. They involve the superior temporal sulcus (STS), which is associated with language processing; specific STS patterns may reflect vulnerability to auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. STS sulcal pits are the deepest points of the folds in this region and were investigated here as an anatomical landmark of AVHs. This study included 53 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and past or present AVHs, as well as 100 healthy control volunteers. All participants underwent a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging T1 brain scan, and sulcal pit differences were compared between the two groups. Compared with controls, patients with AVHs had a significantly different distributions for the number of sulcal pits in the left STS, indicating a less complex morphological pattern. The association of STS sulcal morphology with AVH suggests an early neurodevelopmental process in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia with AVHs.
- schizophrenia,
- auditory verbal hallucination,
- structural MRI,
- superior temporal sulcus,
- sulcal pits
Citation: Baptiste Lerosier, Gregory Simon, Sylvain Takerkart, Guillaume Auzias, Sonia Dollfus. Sulcal pits of the superior temporal sulcus in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations[J]. AIMS Neuroscience, 2024, 11(1): 25-38. doi: 10.3934/Neuroscience.2024002

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Abstract

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are among the most common and disabling symptoms of schizophrenia. They involve the superior temporal sulcus (STS), which is associated with language processing; specific STS patterns may reflect vulnerability to auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. STS sulcal pits are the deepest points of the folds in this region and were investigated here as an anatomical landmark of AVHs. This study included 53 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and past or present AVHs, as well as 100 healthy control volunteers. All participants underwent a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging T1 brain scan, and sulcal pit differences were compared between the two groups. Compared with controls, patients with AVHs had a significantly different distributions for the number of sulcal pits in the left STS, indicating a less complex morphological pattern. The association of STS sulcal morphology with AVH suggests an early neurodevelopmental process in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia with AVHs.

Acknowledgments

This research was conducted thanks to funding allocated to Baptiste Lerosier by the Normandy Region through its “Réseau d'Intérêt Normand” (RIN) and the French Health Ministry (PHRC, No. 06-03).

Conflicts of interest

The authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest regarding this study.

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