Frontal - Temporal Connections

1
Frontal - Temporal Connections

• Is Schizophrenia a frontal- temporal
  disconnection syndrome?
• This theory has historical origins with Wernicke
  in 1906 and Kraepelin in 1919 (1919/1971).
  Wernicke, was the first to posit a disturbance in
  functional connectivity between frontal and
  temporal cortices in schizophrenia.
• Functional and structural studies show that loss
  of the normal connectivity between frontal and
  temporal lobes might be responsible for some
  schizophrenia symptoms (Wernike 1906 Friston et
  al. 1995 McGuire et al. 1996, Weinberger et al.
  1992)
• Myelin abnormalities are found in post mortem
  microscopic and DNA analyses in prefrontal areas
  in schizophrenia (Uranova et al., 2001), (Hakak
  et al., 2001).

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Frontal - Temporal Connections

• Uncinate fasciculus
• Connects temporal pole and orbito-frontal gyrus.
• Involved in episodic memory, verbal learning, and
  emotion.
• Related to affective flattening and episodic
  memory dysfunctions in schizophrenia.
• Cingulum bundle
• Interconnects limbic structures (DLPF, cingulate
  gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus).
• Involved in attention, emotions, spatial
  orientation, memory.
• Related negative symptoms, hallucinations, memory
  and executive attentional deficits in
  schizophrenia.
• Fornix
• Connects hippocampus with other brain regions
  (thalamus, prefrontal cortex)
• Involved in spatial learning and memory.
• Related to memory deficits in schizophrenia.
• Internal Capsule
• Connects thalamus with frontal lobe
• Involved in executive functions and working
  memory, related to their abnormalities in
  schizophrenia.
• Arcuate Fasciculus
• Connects Brocas and Wernickes areas.
• Involved in language processing.
• Related to thought disorder and semantic
  processing disruptions in schizophrenia.