A total of 14 patients of various ages diagnosed with schizophrenia and, as an
age-matched control group, 12 healthy subjects were examined using the MRI
method of neuro-imaging. The volume of the following structures was evaluated
in the right and left hemispheres: the superior temporal gyrus, the basolateral
temporal area (the region including the middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal
gyrus and fusiform gyrus), the parahippocampal gyrus, the hippocampal
head, the amygdaloid body and the inferior horn of the lateral ventricle.
In schizophrenia a significant increase in the volume of the amygdaloid body on
both the left and right sides was observed. In the patients, as in the control
group, we noticed significant asymmetry between the left and right sides in the
volume of the structures studied. The left amygdaloid body was significantly
larger than the right, whereas the left hippocampal head and the temporal horn
of the lateral ventricle were smaller than the right.
Our findings suggest that in the early stages of schizophrenia, despite the increased
volume of the amygdaloid body, the asymmetry between the structures
of the temporal lobe is still present. However, the changes observed in the temporal
lobe could be related to the functional disturbances observed in this disease
