ABSTRACT
Before discussion of the assessment of language disorder, it is important to review perspectives on thought and language deficits observed during psychosis as cognitive and neurobiological correlates of language or thought dysfunction. Neuroanatomical studies reported small reductions in the volume of several regions of interest, particularly within temporal and prefrontal cortices containing Wernicke's and Broca's area, respectively in individuals with schizophrenia. This approach provides a comprehensive analysis of language dysfunction in individuals with thought disorder and allows assessment of interactions between different types of cognitive processes that are involved in language processing such as nonverbal semantic processing, attention, and working memory. It is therefore possible that subtle temporal and frontal gray matter atrophy may contribute to some of the abnormalities in language function discussed in this chapter. In summary, schizophrenia is a complex disorder where language and related brain and cognitive dysfunction are encountered. Studies have identified abnormalities in both language output and comprehension in schizophrenia individuals.
