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Published on: May 7, 2017
Connectivity between perisylvian and bilateral basal temporal cortices
Mohamad Z Koubeissi1, Ronald P Lesser, Alon Sinai
1Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. mohamad.koubeissi@uhhospitals.org
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|July 1, 2011
Summary
This study demonstrates direct brain connections between the left posterior superior temporal gyrus and both basal temporal cortices. These findings suggest a bilateral role for basal temporal cortex in language processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Neurolinguistics
Background:
- Language processing involves complex interactions between distributed neuronal populations.
- Previous research suggests the basal temporal (BT) cortex plays a role in language, potentially with bilateral involvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate direct anatomical and functional connectivity between the perisylvian cortex and bilateral BT areas.
- To investigate the role of BT cortex in language processing.
Main Methods:
- Corticocortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) were recorded in 8 epilepsy patients with subdural electrodes.
- Stimulation of language areas (perisylvian cortex or left posterior superior temporal gyrus - LPSTG) was performed.
- Connectivity was assessed by measuring evoked potentials in BT cortices.
Main Results:
- Posterior language area stimulation elicited CCEPs in the ipsilateral BT cortex in 3/4 patients with left hemispheric grids.
- LPSTG stimulation evoked CCEPs in bilateral BT cortices in 3/4 patients with electrode strips.
- This study provides the first in vivo evidence of connectivity between LPSTG and both BT cortices.
Conclusions:
- The findings demonstrate direct connectivity between the LPSTG and bilateral BT cortices.
- This supports the hypothesis that the BT cortex contributes to language processing in a bilaterally distributed manner.
- BT cortex may be involved in integrating visual information with phonological representations in the LPSTG.
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