Brain Organization of Language after Early Unilateral Lesion: A PET Study

Neuropsychological studies suggest that good long-term language outcome is possible following extensive early left-hemisphere damage. We explored the brain organization for language in children with early unilateral lesion, using [15O]-water PET. In 12 patients with left lesion (LL) and 9 patients w...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain and language 1998-05, Vol.62 (3), p.422-451
Main Authors: Müller, Ralph-Axel, Rothermel, Robert D., Behen, Michael E., Muzik, Otto, Mangner, Thomas J., Chakraborty, Pulak K., Chugani, Harry T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - blood supply
Brain - diagnostic imaging
Brain Injuries - diagnostic imaging
Child
Child clinical studies
Disease Progression
Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes
Female
Functional Laterality
Humans
Language
Male
Medical sciences
Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes)
Neurology
Organic mental disorders. Neuropsychology
Prognosis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Regional Blood Flow
Speech Perception
Tomography, Emission-Computed
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Neuropsychological studies suggest that good long-term language outcome is possible following extensive early left-hemisphere damage. We explored the brain organization for language in children with early unilateral lesion, using [15O]-water PET. In 12 patients with left lesion (LL) and 9 patients with right lesion (RL), cerebral blood flow changes during listening to sentences and repetition were studied. A rightward shift of language activations in the LL group was found in perisylvian areas and multiple other, mostly temporo-parietal, regions. The hypothesis of intrahemispheric reorganization in the LL group found only limited support. The number of activated regions was overall greater in the RL group. Unexpected findings included a stronger subcortical and cerebellar language involvement in the RL group. We suggest that (a) early left lesion is associated with enhanced language participation of the right hemisphere in and beyond the classical language areas, and (b) postlesional effects are in part additive (recruitment of noncanonical areas), in part subtractive (functional depression in areas normally involved in language).
ISSN:0093-934X
1090-2155
DOI:10.1006/brln.1997.1931