Temporal cortex

Abstract

The temporal lobe has seen some focus in neuropathological research, but as with other parts of the brain investigation has been focused on specific regions and found a degree of heterogeneous results, although possibly less so than is normally observed in schizophrenia research. The overall pattern of reported changes from pathological research and imaging studies does suggest a strong trend of lateralised change in the STG in schizophrenia, functionally linked to auditory hallucinations by several authors. There is also a strong suggestion of schizophrenia-linked alterations in the structure of the fusiform cortex, consistent with described clinical facial recognition and emotional interpretation. In recent years, improved gross dissection and imaging analysis of white matter tracts, as well as connectome studies revealing a functionally different pattern to the temporal lobe than anatomy might suggest, have given a new set of targets for researchers to examine.