Morphometric Analysis of the Superior Temporal Gyrus

颞上回(STG)对听力、语言理解、学习、 记忆、识别以及语义和语音加工。STG功能缺陷有 与病理状态(如诵读困难、自闭症、精神分裂症)有关。数量上的 对STG的详细解剖结构的描述可能在 了解与其功能相关的正常功能和病理状态以及 阐明不同病理分组之间的差异。 为了对STG进行彻底的定量评估，重要的是要有一种方法能够可靠地表征STG的不同部分，以及分析形状和图案特征。我们建议对这种方法进行开发和验证。使用传统的方法，我们已经开发出一种高度可靠的形态测量方法来测量STG和PT。以此作为“黄金标准”，我们建议开发和验证半自动方法，以从大量人口中测量这些地区。此外，我们将开发一种形状分析方法来分析STG的区域。 我们实验室目前对30名精神分裂症患者进行了SGPR MRI扫描，分别与30名正常人和30名双相情感障碍患者配对。我们将使用上述方法来研究精神分裂症患者的STG异常，这一受试者组提供了验证半自动方法的理想起点，因为精神分裂症患者在形态计量学研究中显示出STG皮质异常(例如，PT的反向不对称)。我们认为，与精神分裂症患者相比，这30名双相患者是一个重要的对比组，因为它代表了一种精神障碍，可能有精神病症状，但没有证据表明STG功能障碍。明确患者组和正常人在STG特定位置的形状差异和脑回特征的差异，可能会为精神分裂症的病因提供重要信息，并有助于精神分裂症和双相情感障碍的鉴别诊断。

The superior temporal gyrus (STG) is important for hearing, language comprehension, learning, memory, recognition and semantic and phonological processing. Deficits of STG function are associated with pathological states (e.g., dyslexia, autism, schizophrenia). A quantitative characterization of the detailed anatomic structure of the STG is likely to be important in understanding both the normal function and pathological states related to its function as well as elucidate the differences between pathological groups. To conduct a thorough quantitative assessment of the STG, it is important to have a method capable of characterizing different parts of the STG reliably as well as analyzing shape and pattern characteristics. We propose the development and validation of such a method. Using conventional methods, we have already developed a highly reliable morphometric methodology to measure the STG and planum temporale (PT). Using that as a "gold standard," we propose to develop and validate semi-automated methods to measure these regions from a large population. Further, we will develop a shape analysis methodology to analyze the regions of the STG. Our lab currently has SGPR MRI scans on 30 schizophrenia patients individually matched with 30 normal subjects and 30 bipolar patients. We will use the above methods to investigate STG abnormalities in schizophrenia, This subject group provides an ideal starting point to validate semi-automated methods since schizophrenia patients have show STG cortical anomalies (e.g., reversed asymmetry of the PT) in morphometric studies. We believe the 30 bipolar patients are an important comparison group to the schizophrenia patients because it represents a psychiatric disorder that may have psychotic symptoms yet one in which there is no evidence of STG dysfunction. Defining differences in shape at specific locations of the STG and differences in gyral characteristics between patient groups and normal subjects may give important information about the etiology of schizophrenia, and aid in the differential diagnosis between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.