Paracingulate sulcus morphology is associated with hallucinations in the human brain

Authors:
  • TBThe Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank
    The Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank
  • VCVaughan Carr
    Vaughan Carr
  • USUlrich Schall
    Ulrich Schall
  • RSRodney Scott
    Rodney Scott
  • AJAssen Jablensky
    Assen Jablensky
  • PMPatricia Michie
    Patricia Michie
  • SCStanley Catts
    Stanley Catts
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Abstract
Hallucinations are common in psychiatric disorders, and are also experienced by many individuals who are not mentally ill. Here, in 153 participants, we investigate brain structural markers that predict the occurrence of hallucinations by comparing patients with schizophrenia who have experienced hallucinations against patients who have not, matched on a number of demographic and clinical variables. Using both newly validated visual classification techniques and automated, data-driven methods, hallucinations were associated with specific brain morphology differences in the paracingulate sulcus, a fold in the medial prefrontal cortex, with a 1 cm reduction in sulcal length increasing the likelihood of hallucinations by 19.9%, regardless of the sensory modality in which they were experienced. The findings suggest a specific morphological basis for a pervasive feature of typical and atypical human experience.

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