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Is there a unique relation between a deficit of deviance detection and schizophrenia?
Psychiatry Research 188 (2011) 299
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Psychiatry Research j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / p s yc h r e s
Letter to the Editor Is there a unique relation between a deficit of deviance detection and schizophrenia? To the Editors: The assumption of a deficit of deviance detection as the key problem in schizophrenia is definitely an interesting one; moreover, we highly agree with the multilevel approach. However, first, we are wondering whether Strelnikov (2010) could give some additional information about the question: How specific is a deficit of deviance detection for schizophrenia? In other words, is it something unique that can only be found in patients with schizophrenia (Leitman et al., 2010), or is it less specific and can it be found in various other (psychiatric) disorders (Brønnick et al., 2010) as well? From a theoretical point of view, this is a very important question to answer, and we are of the opinion that it did not receive enough attention in the review; particularly since a deficit of deviance detection plays the key part of Strelnikov's schizophrenia theory. Secondly, we fully agree with Strelnikov (2010) that there seems to be a deficit of interaction between hemispheres in patients with schizophrenia. Strelnikov describes the evidence found in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that brain activity in “language-specific” temporal and frontal areas is more lateralized to the right in patients with schizophrenia and that there seems to be a relation with the severity of the hallucinations. We are wondering, however, why Strelnikov does not mention the role of the corpus callosum at all? In our view, according to Strelnikov's theory, one would expect the corpus callosum, which is the largest commissure of the human brain, to play a key role. Moreover, in line with this, one would expect abnormalities particularly in this structure in patients with schizophrenia. Interestingly, note that in recent structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies, that is also what has been found (e.g., Kubicki et al., 2008; Rotarska-Jagiela et al., 2008). One important aspect in recent literature that might shed more light on this subject is the research on the language disorder of patients with aphasia in comparison with the language use of patients with schizophrenia, illustrating the deviances of these illnesses compared with language use in healthy adults (Goldfarb and Bekker, 2009). Finally, Strelnikov (2010) explains in a model of normal continuous speech processing that each hemisphere houses both the sequential and the parallel stream of processing; however, each hemisphere dominates another stream. The parallel stream is dominant for the right and the sequential stream for the left hemisphere. However, we are wondering how Strelnikov's model explains the functioning by patients who are not left hemispheric language dominant? Note that previous research showed that at least 5% of right handers, a higher percentage of non-dextrals, and even up to 20–27% of left-handed healthy participants exhibited atypical (symmetric or right-hemispheric) language dominance (Szaflarski et al., 2006)? Moreover, even more important, how can Strelnikov's model relate to and explain the accumulating evidence, obtained with both sMRI and fMRI, suggesting that schizophrenia is associated with reduced
0165-1781/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2011.03.008
lateralization of language to the left hemisphere, with some studies reporting a reversal of lateralization, to the right hemisphere (Mitchell and Crow, 2005)? References Brønnick, K.S., Nordby, H., Larsen, J.P., Aarsland, D., 2010. Disturbance of automatic auditory change detection in dementia associated with Parkinson's disease: a mismatch negativity study. Neurobiology of Aging 31 (1), 104–113. Goldfarb, R., Bekker, N., 2009. Noun–verb ambiguity in chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia. Journal of Communication Disorders 42 (1), 74–88. Kubicki, M., Styner, M., Bouix, S., Gerig, G., Markant, D., Smith, K., Kikinis, R., McCarley, R.W., Shenton, M.E., 2008. Reduced interhemispheric connectivity in schizophrenia— tractography based segmentation of the corpus callosum. Schizophrenia Research 106 (2–3), 125–131. Leitman, D.I., Sehatpour, P., Higgins, B.A., Foxe, J.J., Silipo, G., Javitt, D.C., 2010. Sensory deficits and distributed hierarchical dysfunction in schizophrenia. The American Journal of Psychiatry 167 (7), 818–827. Mitchell, R.L.C., Crow, T.J., 2005. Right hemisphere language functions and schizophrenia: the forgotten hemisphere? Brain 128 (5), 963–978. Rotarska-Jagiela, A., Schönmeyer, R., Oertel, V., Haenschel, C., Vogeley, K., Linden, D.E.J., 2008. The corpus callosum in schizophrenia—volume and connectivity changes affect specific regions. Neuroimage 39 (4), 1522–1532. Strelnikov, K., 2010. Schizophrenia and language: shall we look for a deficit of deviance detection? Psychiatry Research 178 (2), 225–229. Szaflarski, J.P., Holland, S.K., Schmithorst, V.J., Byars, A.W., 2006. An fMRI study of language lateralization in children and adults. Human Brain Mapping 27 (3), 202–212.
Maurits van den Noort Research Group of Pain and Neuroscience, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130–701, Republic of Korea Department of Linguistics, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, Brussels 1050, Belgium Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 16096868801; fax: +82 29617831. E-mail address: [email protected]. Peggy Bosch Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, Nijmegen 6500, The Netherlands LVR-Klinik Bedburg-Hau, Bahnstrasse 6, Bedburg-Hau 47511, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]. Esli Struys Piet van de Craen Department of Linguistics, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, Brussels 1050, Belgium E-mail addresses: [email protected] (E. Struys), [email protected] (P. van de Craen). 18 August 2010
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Psychiatry Research j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / p s yc h r e s
Letter to the Editor Is there a unique relation between a deficit of deviance detection and schizophrenia? To the Editors: The assumption of a deficit of deviance detection as the key problem in schizophrenia is definitely an interesting one; moreover, we highly agree with the multilevel approach. However, first, we are wondering whether Strelnikov (2010) could give some additional information about the question: How specific is a deficit of deviance detection for schizophrenia? In other words, is it something unique that can only be found in patients with schizophrenia (Leitman et al., 2010), or is it less specific and can it be found in various other (psychiatric) disorders (Brønnick et al., 2010) as well? From a theoretical point of view, this is a very important question to answer, and we are of the opinion that it did not receive enough attention in the review; particularly since a deficit of deviance detection plays the key part of Strelnikov's schizophrenia theory. Secondly, we fully agree with Strelnikov (2010) that there seems to be a deficit of interaction between hemispheres in patients with schizophrenia. Strelnikov describes the evidence found in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that brain activity in “language-specific” temporal and frontal areas is more lateralized to the right in patients with schizophrenia and that there seems to be a relation with the severity of the hallucinations. We are wondering, however, why Strelnikov does not mention the role of the corpus callosum at all? In our view, according to Strelnikov's theory, one would expect the corpus callosum, which is the largest commissure of the human brain, to play a key role. Moreover, in line with this, one would expect abnormalities particularly in this structure in patients with schizophrenia. Interestingly, note that in recent structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) studies, that is also what has been found (e.g., Kubicki et al., 2008; Rotarska-Jagiela et al., 2008). One important aspect in recent literature that might shed more light on this subject is the research on the language disorder of patients with aphasia in comparison with the language use of patients with schizophrenia, illustrating the deviances of these illnesses compared with language use in healthy adults (Goldfarb and Bekker, 2009). Finally, Strelnikov (2010) explains in a model of normal continuous speech processing that each hemisphere houses both the sequential and the parallel stream of processing; however, each hemisphere dominates another stream. The parallel stream is dominant for the right and the sequential stream for the left hemisphere. However, we are wondering how Strelnikov's model explains the functioning by patients who are not left hemispheric language dominant? Note that previous research showed that at least 5% of right handers, a higher percentage of non-dextrals, and even up to 20–27% of left-handed healthy participants exhibited atypical (symmetric or right-hemispheric) language dominance (Szaflarski et al., 2006)? Moreover, even more important, how can Strelnikov's model relate to and explain the accumulating evidence, obtained with both sMRI and fMRI, suggesting that schizophrenia is associated with reduced
0165-1781/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2011.03.008
lateralization of language to the left hemisphere, with some studies reporting a reversal of lateralization, to the right hemisphere (Mitchell and Crow, 2005)? References Brønnick, K.S., Nordby, H., Larsen, J.P., Aarsland, D., 2010. Disturbance of automatic auditory change detection in dementia associated with Parkinson's disease: a mismatch negativity study. Neurobiology of Aging 31 (1), 104–113. Goldfarb, R., Bekker, N., 2009. Noun–verb ambiguity in chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia. Journal of Communication Disorders 42 (1), 74–88. Kubicki, M., Styner, M., Bouix, S., Gerig, G., Markant, D., Smith, K., Kikinis, R., McCarley, R.W., Shenton, M.E., 2008. Reduced interhemispheric connectivity in schizophrenia— tractography based segmentation of the corpus callosum. Schizophrenia Research 106 (2–3), 125–131. Leitman, D.I., Sehatpour, P., Higgins, B.A., Foxe, J.J., Silipo, G., Javitt, D.C., 2010. Sensory deficits and distributed hierarchical dysfunction in schizophrenia. The American Journal of Psychiatry 167 (7), 818–827. Mitchell, R.L.C., Crow, T.J., 2005. Right hemisphere language functions and schizophrenia: the forgotten hemisphere? Brain 128 (5), 963–978. Rotarska-Jagiela, A., Schönmeyer, R., Oertel, V., Haenschel, C., Vogeley, K., Linden, D.E.J., 2008. The corpus callosum in schizophrenia—volume and connectivity changes affect specific regions. Neuroimage 39 (4), 1522–1532. Strelnikov, K., 2010. Schizophrenia and language: shall we look for a deficit of deviance detection? Psychiatry Research 178 (2), 225–229. Szaflarski, J.P., Holland, S.K., Schmithorst, V.J., Byars, A.W., 2006. An fMRI study of language lateralization in children and adults. Human Brain Mapping 27 (3), 202–212.
Maurits van den Noort Research Group of Pain and Neuroscience, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130–701, Republic of Korea Department of Linguistics, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, Brussels 1050, Belgium Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 16096868801; fax: +82 29617831. E-mail address: [email protected]. Peggy Bosch Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, Nijmegen 6500, The Netherlands LVR-Klinik Bedburg-Hau, Bahnstrasse 6, Bedburg-Hau 47511, Germany E-mail address: [email protected]. Esli Struys Piet van de Craen Department of Linguistics, Free University of Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, Brussels 1050, Belgium E-mail addresses: [email protected] (E. Struys), [email protected] (P. van de Craen). 18 August 2010