Unexpected absence of aphasia following left temporal hemorrhage: a case study with functional neuroimaging to characterize the nature of atypical language localization

Unexpected absence of aphasia after left-hemisphere perisylvian damage is often assumed to reflect right-hemisphere language lateralization, but other potential explanations include bilateral language representation, or sparing of critical left-hemisphere regions due to individual variability. We de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurocase 2021-02, Vol.27 (1), p.97-105
Main Authors: Schneck, Sarah M., Entrup, Jillian L., Duff, Melissa C., Wilson, Stephen M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aphasia
Aphasia - diagnostic imaging
Aphasia - etiology
atypical language organization
bilateral language
Case reports
fMRI
Functional Laterality
Functional Neuroimaging
Handedness
Hemispheric laterality
Hemorrhage
Humans
Language
Localization
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Medical imaging
Neuroimaging
right-lateralized language
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Summary:Unexpected absence of aphasia after left-hemisphere perisylvian damage is often assumed to reflect right-hemisphere language lateralization, but other potential explanations include bilateral language representation, or sparing of critical left-hemisphere regions due to individual variability. We describe the case of a left-handed gentleman who presented with no aphasia after a left temporal hemorrhage. We used functional neuroimaging to determine how his language network had been spared. In this case, we observed unequivocal right-hemisphere lateralization of language function, explaining his lack of aphasia. We discuss the variability of language organization and highlight outstanding questions about the implications of damage in different scenarios.
ISSN:1355-4794
1465-3656
1362-4970
DOI:10.1080/13554794.2021.1886309