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Reorganization of syntactic processing following left-hemisphere brain damage: does right-hemisphere activity
Lorraine K Tyler1, Paul Wright, Billi Randall
1Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK. lktyler@csl.psychol.cam.ac.uk
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|September 28, 2010
Summary
The human brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Functional plasticity in the human brain is studied across pathological changes and healthy aging.
- The left hemisphere is typically dominant for language functions, particularly syntax.
- Investigating right-hemisphere reorganization after left-hemisphere damage is crucial for understanding brain plasticity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the potential for functional plasticity in syntax processing following left-hemisphere brain damage.
- To determine if syntax, a left-lateralized function, can reorganize to the right hemisphere.
- To correlate neural integrity, activation, and behavioral performance in syntax processing.
Main Methods:
- Functional neuroimaging study using spoken sentences with varying syntactic and semantic loads.
- Assessment of tissue integrity using voxel-based morphometry.
- Measurement of neural activation patterns and behavioral performance in syntactic tasks.
Main Results:
- Healthy controls showed left-hemisphere activation (Brodmann areas 45/47, posterior middle temporal gyrus) for syntax.
- Patients with left-hemisphere damage exhibited bilateral Brodmann areas 45/47 and right middle temporal gyrus activation.
- Left hemisphere tissue integrity, not right hemisphere activity, correlated with syntactic performance.
Conclusions:
- While the right hemisphere shows increased activation after left-hemisphere damage, it does not fully compensate for syntactic function.
- Left-hemisphere integrity is critical for effective syntax processing.
- This study reinforces the unique and essential role of the left hemisphere in syntax, a core aspect of human language.
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