Background: Superior temporal lobe dysfunction is a robust finding in functional
neuroimaging studies of schizophrenia and is thought to be related to a disruption of fronto‐
temporal functional connectivity. However, the stage of the disorder at which these functional
alterations occur is unclear. We addressed this issue by using functional MRI (fMRI) to study
subjects in the prodromal and first episode phases of schizophrenia. Methods: Subjects with
an at risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis, a first psychotic episode (FEP), and controls …

We present an fMRI study looking at superior temporal lobe function in subjects with a high
risk of developing psychosis (ARMS), with a first episode of psychosis (FEP), and healthy
controls. FEP subjects failed to deactivate the superior temporal gyrus while performing a
working memory test, while ARMS subjects showed an activation in between FEP and
controls. An effective connectivity analysis suggested that this dysfunction in FEP is due to a
frontotemporal dysconnectivity, with ARMS subjects showing qualitatively similar alterations …