Training-induced brain plasticity in aphasia
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
It has long been a matter of debate whether recovery from aphasia after left perisylvian lesions is mediated by the preserved left hemispheric language zones or by the homologous right hemisphere regions. Using PET, we investigated the short-term changes in the cortical network involved in language comprehension during recovery from aphasia. In 12 consecutive measurements of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), four patients with Wernicke's aphasia, caused by a posterior left middle cerebral artery infarction, were tested with a language comprehension task. Comprehension was estimated directly after each scan with a modified version of the Token Test. In the interval between the scans, the patients participated in brief, intense language comprehension training. A significant improvement in performance was observed in all patients. We correlated changes in blood flow measured during the language comprehension task with the scores achieved in the Token Test. The regions which best correlated with the training-induced improvement in verbal comprehension were the posterior part of the right superior temporal gyrus and the left precuneus. This study supports the role of the right hemisphere in recovery from aphasia and demonstrates that the improvement in auditory comprehension induced by specific training is associated with functional brain reorganization.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1781-1790 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Brain |
Volume | 122 |
Issue number | 9 |
Publication status | Published - Sept 1999 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 10468516 |
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Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- Aphasia, PET, Recovery, Stroke