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Functional Tests of the Corpus Callosum in Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Gareth H. Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Welsh National School of Medicine, Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff CF4 7XB
Julian J. Miller
Affiliation:
M.R.C. Institute of Hearing Research, (Welsh Section), University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4 4XN

Summary

The corpus callosum, a cerebral commissure of 200,000,000 fibres, is thickened in chronic schizophrenia and several neuropsychological and neurophysiological techniques have suggested poor links between the two cerebral hemispheres. The interhemispheric conduction time across the corpus callosum, measured in 12 schizophrenics, using the ipsilateral/contralateral latency differences of the early somatosensory evoked response, was found to be effectively zero. It is suggested that schizophrenia is a split-brain condition akin to agenesis of the corpus callosum, unrecognized through the use of compensatory ipsilateral sensory pathways.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1981 

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