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Dissociated crossed aphasia: a challenging language representation disorder
Konstantinos Paparounas1, Dimitrios Eftaxias, Nikolaos Akritidis
1Department of Neurology, Hatzikosta General Hospital of Ioannina, Makrygianna Avenue 45001, Ioannina, Greece. kostpap@otenet.gr
Neurology
|August 15, 2002
Summary
This study details a right-handed woman with a right middle cerebral artery stroke causing motor aphasia but intact comprehension. This suggests atypical language lateralization, with Broca's area in the right hemisphere and Wernicke's area in the left.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Investigating language lateralization in the human brain.
- Understanding the roles of Broca's and Wernicke's areas in speech production and comprehension.
- Examining atypical brain organization following cerebrovascular events.
Observation:
- A strongly right-handed, monolingual woman experienced left hemiparesis and severe motor aphasia after a right middle cerebral artery infarction.
- Despite motor aphasia, her language comprehension remained entirely intact.
- A prior transient cerebrovascular event presented with right hemiparesis and fluent sensory aphasia.
Findings:
- The patient's symptoms suggest a transhemispheric pattern of language organization.
- Broca's area, typically in the left hemisphere, appears to be located in the right hemisphere in this individual.
- Wernicke's area, associated with language comprehension, appears to be located in the left hemisphere.
Implications:
- This case challenges traditional models of language lateralization.
- It highlights the brain's plasticity and potential for atypical functional organization.
- Further research is needed to understand the full spectrum of language representation in the brain, especially after stroke.