FMRI findings in an aphasic patient with reversed cerebral dominance for language

Acta Neurol Belg. 2008 Dec;108(4):161-6.

Abstract

An 80-year-old right-handed woman with no history of brain damage or familial strain of left-handedness acutely developed aphasia associated with a left hemiparesis following a right hemisphere stroke. Brain MRI showed a posterior insular ischemic infarction extending to the temporo-parietal region of the right hemisphere. Severe overall language disruption (global aphasia) in the acute phase of the stroke rapidly evolved into conduction aphasia, characterized by a neurolinguistic profile of disproportionately severe repetition deficits and markedly distorted phonological skills. In the lesion phase of the stroke, a functional MRI study using a word repetition task was conducted which revealed a consistent pattern of right hemisphere activations. For the first time, right hemisphere language dominance is demonstrated by fMRI in a clear instance of crossed aphasia in a dextral.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aphasia / physiopathology*
  • Brain / physiopathology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cerebral Infarction / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality*
  • Humans
  • Language*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging