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LEFT POSTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX VOLUME REFLECTS INTERPERSONAL SCHIZOTYPY IN ATYPICALLY LATERALIZED INDIVIDUALS
Poster Session D, Saturday, September 13, 5:00 - 6:30 pm, Field House
Eric Rivero Zaragoza1, Cristina Cano Melle1, Esteban Villar Rodríguez1, Tatiana Davydova1, María Baena Pérez1, Valeria Mosqueda Cáceres1, Jaume Usó Cubertorer1, Cesar Ávila Rivera1, Victor Costumero Ramos1; 1Universitat Jaume I
Atypical language lateralization, characterized by right-hemisphere dominance instead of the typical left-hemisphere specialization, has been associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia (Ocklenburg & Güntürkün 2024). However, it remains unclear whether this brain organization serves as a marker of vulnerability in clinically healthy individuals. In this study, we examined the relationship between atypical language lateralization and the presence of autistic and schizotypal traits in a non-clinical population, while also exploring grey matter volume differences in the brain associated with these traits. Structural MRI data were analyzed using SPM12 and the CAT12 toolbox (Gaser et al., 2024), based on harmonized datasets from 120 individuals with typical (n = 60; 34 women; Mean age = 23.75, SD = 4.49;) and atypical (n = 60; 30 women; Mean age = 25, SD = 6.36) language lateralization. Language lateralization was assessed through specific functional MRI tasks (verb generation), and autistic and schizotypal traits were measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), respectively. The whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was conducted to study brain regions showing differential associations between brain volume and questionnaire scores across groups. Multiple linear regression models revealed a statistically significant difference (k = 1291; p = 0.036, cluster-level corrected) in the association between volume in the left posterior cingulate cortex (LPCC) and scores on the SPQ_AAP subscale, which assesses items related to interpersonal emotional distancing. Post-hoc analyses revealed that individuals with atypical lateralization showed a positive relationship between volume in this region and SPQ_AAP scores (r = 0.271, p = 0.036). No significant relationships were observed in typical individuals and no significant group differences were found in the relationship between AQ scores and grey matter volume. These findings suggest that atypical language lateralization may be associated with structural alterations in brain regions involved in self-referential processing, emotional regulation, and social cognition. The results are consistent with previous research linking schizotypy—particularly its interpersonal dimension—to non-canonical patterns of lateralization (Villar-Rodríguez et al., 2024). In conclusion, this study provides evidence that differences in brain volume and language lateralization may be associated with specific subclinical traits of schizotypy, potentially serving as indicators of vulnerability in the general population. References: -Ocklenburg, S., & Güntürkün, O. (2024). The lateralized brain: The neuroscience and evolution of hemispheric asymmetries (2nd ed.). Elsevier. -Villar-Rodríguez, E., Cano-Melle, C., Marin-Marin, L., Parcet, M. A., & Avila, C. (2024). What happens to the inhibitory control functions of the right inferior frontal cortex when this area is dominant for language?. Elife, 12, RP86797. -Gaser, C., Dahnke, R., Thompson, P. M., Kurth, F., Luders, E., & Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. (2024). CAT: a computational anatomy toolbox for the analysis of structural MRI data. Gigascience, 13, giae049.
Topic Areas: Language Development/Acquisition, Disorders: Developmental