APHASIA AND HANDEDNESS IN RELATION TO HEMISPHERIC SIDE, AGE AT INJURY AND SEVERITY OF CEREBRAL LESION DURING CHILDHOOD

The effects of the variables of hemispheric side of lesion, age at injury and severity of cerebral damage on language performance and hand dominance were investigated in groups of hemiparetic children. Severity of cerebral damage was defined by the degree of structural abnormality shown on computed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain (London, England : 1878) England : 1878), 1985-09, Vol.108 (3), p.677-696
Main Authors: VARGHA-KHADEM, FARANEH, O'GORMAN, A. M., WATTERS, G. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Aphasia - etiology
Aphasia - physiopathology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Injuries - complications
Brain Injuries - physiopathology
Brain Injuries - psychology
Child
Child, Preschool
Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes
Female
Functional Laterality
Humans
Infant
Language Tests
Male
Medical sciences
Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes)
Neurology
Psychological Tests
Verbal Learning
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Summary:The effects of the variables of hemispheric side of lesion, age at injury and severity of cerebral damage on language performance and hand dominance were investigated in groups of hemiparetic children. Severity of cerebral damage was defined by the degree of structural abnormality shown on computed tomography (CT) scans. Tests of auditory verbal comprehension and object naming were used as indicators of productive and receptive language skills. The responses to a series of questions on a handedness inventory provided a rated measure of hand dominance. The results indicated that language deficits characterize the performance of all patient groups with left cerebral injuries. Impairments are more profound, however, in the case of left hemisphere injuries acquired after the age of 5 years. In addition, prenatal and early postnatal left cerebral lesions consistently result in strong sinistrality. It is concluded that the crucial variable underlying the demonstration of language deficits and left hand dominance is not severity of lesion but age at injury and hemispheric side of lesion.
ISSN:0006-8950
1460-2156
DOI:10.1093/brain/108.3.677