title: Hemianesthesia and aphasia. An anatomical and behavioral study.
abstract: A 61-year-old right-handed man with a history of lacunar cerebrovascular disease and hypertension had the sudden onset of right-sided numbness and difficulty speaking. Neurologic evaluation revealed a dense right hemianesthesia that included the face, trunk, arm, and leg. Neuropsychological examination documented a conduction aphasia, which resolved nearly completely several months later. Computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging studies showed a lesion in the left hemisphere that involved the posterior insula and disrupted thalamocortical connections but entirely spared the thalamus proper. We suggest that the combination of hemianesthesia and aphasia indicates a white matter lesion subjacent to inferior parietal and posterior temporal cortices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Hyman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tranel
mesh_terms: D001037:Aphasia / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D012677:Sensation; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology