Crossed aphasia: one or more syndromes?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurolinguistics
• Clinical Neurology

Background:

• Traditionally, aphasia (language impairment) is associated with left hemisphere brain damage in right-handed individuals.
• Right hemisphere lesions are more commonly linked to visuospatial deficits and attentional disorders.

Observation:

• Seven strongly right-handed patients with documented right hemisphere vascular lesions were studied.
• One patient exhibited severe unilateral neglect, with three showing indications and three showing no signs of neglect.

Findings:

• Patients with right hemisphere lesions demonstrated significantly higher Token Test scores (indicating poorer performance) compared to controls.
• Aphasia types observed included Broca aphasia (2 patients), Wernicke aphasia (4 patients), and agraphia (1 patient).
• The relationship between aphasia type and lesion location in these right-hemisphere cases mirrored patterns typically seen in left-hemisphere aphasia.

Implications:

• These findings suggest that the right hemisphere may play a more significant role in language processing than previously assumed.
• Reconsidering the lateralization of language functions may be necessary.
• Clinical assessment and rehabilitation strategies for aphasia should account for potential right hemisphere involvement.