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Modular organization of cognitive systems masked by interhemispheric integration
K Baynes1, J C Eliassen, H L Lutsep
1Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. kbaynes@ucdavis.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 23, 1998
Summary
Following corpus callosum resection, a patient showed distinct spoken and written language abilities controlled by separate brain hemispheres. This dissociation highlights independent hemispheric control over language output modalities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- The corpus callosum connects the brain's hemispheres, facilitating interhemispheric communication.
- Language processing is typically lateralized, often to the dominant hemisphere.
Observation:
- A left-handed woman (V.J.) with left-hemisphere language dominance underwent corpus callosum resection.
- Post-surgery, V.J. exhibited a dissociation between spoken and written language production.
Findings:
- Words presented to the dominant left hemisphere were spoken but not written.
- Words presented to the non-dominant right hemisphere were written but not spoken.
Implications:
- This case provides evidence for independent hemispheric control of spoken versus written language.
- It challenges the notion of inseparable cognitive entities for language output before hemispheric disconnection.