Cerebral Asymmetry, Planum Temporale, and Aberrant Neurodevelopment in Schizophrenia

We read with much interest the recent informative neuroimaging article 1 and accompanying editorial 2 on asymmetry of the planum temporale and its etiopathologic significance for dyslexia and other developmental disorders. Within this context, we would like to further highlight the relevance of such findings for current perspectives on the pathobiology of schizophrenia. The application of magnetic resonance imaging to the study of schizophrenia has complemented a confluence of epidemiologic, postmortem, and clinical observations supporting the notion of schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder. 3 The temporal lobes have been a particular focus of magnetic resonance imaging research, and two recent articles 4,5 have indicated strong associations between volumetric reduction of the left superior temporal lobe gyrus and severity of auditory hallucinations and thought disorder. Such findings suggest that a specific developmental anomaly within the (left) temporal lobe, which results in compromised language organization, may be of relevance to the pathogenesis