Ordinal reduction of frontotemporal sulcal asymmetry with increasing auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Asymmetry in paracingulate sulcus (PCS) length and superior temporal sulcus (STS) depth was examined in schizophrenia spectrum patients stratified by auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) frequency. An ordinal reduction in sulcal asymmetry was observed with increasing AVH frequency, reaching statistical significance only for STS depth. The decline in effect size from frequent to less frequent AVH may explain prior inconsistent findings from binary AVH classifications that disregard clinical heterogeneity.