Project Summary

Rajaprabhakaran Rajarethinam, M.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of Wayne State University, plans to study with fMRI whether abnormalities of the superior temporal gyrus, or STG, of the brain may be predictive of schizophrenia. The STG, located on lateral side of the brain, is an area responsible for language association and thought processes. Studies show it is smaller in individuals with schizophrenia. Recently, Dr. Rajarethinam found STG is also smaller in children of parents with schizophrenia and that the children demonstrate subtle deficiencies in language tests. The finding supports the idea that the development of STG, a language area, may be impaired via genetic influence. In the proposed study, Dr. Rajarethinam plans to compare with fMRI STG activation between non-psychotic high- risk adolescents and healthy comparison subjects as they listen to spoken sentences. He hypothesizes STG will be less activated in genetically at-risk children and this reduction in activity could predict a later onset of schizophrenia.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia

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