Localization of cerebral lesions in aphasia--a computer aided comparison between men and women

It is still a matter of debate whether there are differences between men and women concerning the localization of higher cerebral functions. To further elucidate this problem we conjointly evaluated the aphasia protocols and corresponding computer-assisted tomography (CT) scans of 49 men and 35 women who presented with unilateral ischemic cerebral lesions. Both, the aphasia tests and CT scans, were fed into computer programs warranting a high degree of objectivity. Comparing the four main aphasic syndromes we found differences for each of them displaying a more posterior extension of lesions with global and amnestic aphasia in men and larger lesions with Broca and Wernicke aphasia in women. When all templates were compared, men displayed a wider extension within the left hemisphere than women whose lesions were more focused in the perisylvian area. This study confirms earlier findings claiming that aphasic men and women differ regarding the anterior-posterior extension and the frequency of lesions within the classical language zones. However, while the predominance of men's lesions in the posterior areas was in accordance with previous findings, the greater overall scatter within the left hemisphere contradicts published studies.