Informaciones Psiquiátricas 2025 - nº 259 67 Discussion The study found evidence of a localized increase in sulcal pit depth within the Broca’s area, a key region for language production. Since sulcal pits form during early brain development and remain stable throughout life, this result suggests that a structural alteration, present from the earliest stages of neurodevelopment, may contribute to the later manifestation of auditory verbal hallucinations in individuals who develop schizophrenia later, i.e., in adult life. The findings align with functional imaging studies that have consistently found activation of Broca's area during the experience of AVH. The study also potentially resonates with other research that has found evidence that Broca's area is a potential “epicenter” for brain structural changes in schizophrenia, i.e., the area of the brain from where structural changes that take place after illness onset originate. In conclusion, this discovery of a neurodevelopmentally stable structural marker for AVH in schizophrenia involving and to some extending beyond Broca's area has significant implications, as it connects the pathology of this core symptom to early brain development and a region long implicated in language and speech. SULCAL PITS REVEAL A NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CONTRIBUTION OF BROCA’S AND SPEECH-RELATED AREAS TO AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
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