Relations between the sides of linguistic cerebral dominance and manuality in Chinese aphasics

To study the relations between the sides of linguistic cerebral dominance and of cerebral lesions and manuality in Chinese aphasics and whether there is essential difference between Chinese Han nationality and Westerners in the linguistic cerebral dominant laterality.

309 cases of cerebral infarction (225 cases) and cerebral hemorrhage (84 cases) at the acute stage (within 3 months) of illness were studied by Standardized Aphasia Battery in Chinese (ABC) and Manuality Test (12 items). All cases were at their first onset of cerebral vascular disease (CVD) and were orientated. Cranial CT scan demonstrated single cerebral lesion in each case. Aphasia was divided into 10 types, and manuality was divided into dextrals and nondextrals.

286 cases (92.56%) were dextrals and 23 cases (7.44%) were nondextrals. The lesions of 222 cases (71.85%) were in the left cerebral hemisphere and 87 cases (28.15%) were in the right cerebral hemisphere. 170 cases (55.02%) were normal in their speech and 139 (44.98%) with aphasia of 10 types, of whom, 134 cases (96.40%) were dextral and 5 (3.60%) were nondextral. 136 patients (97.84%) were aphasic due to lesions of the left cerebral hemisphere, of whom, 131 cases (94.24%) were dextral and 5 (3.60%) were nondextral. Only 3 dextrals (2.16%) were with crossed aphasia due to lesions of the right cerebral hemisphere.

The majority of the Chinese Han nationality had their linguistic cerebral dominance in the left cerebral hemisphere, no matter whether they were dextral or not, which had no essential difference between Chinese and Westerners.