title: Behavioural relevance of atypical language lateralization in healthy subjects.
abstract: In most humans, language is lateralized to the left side of the brain. It has been speculated that this hemispheric specialization is a prerequisite for the full realization of linguistic potential. Using standardized questionnaires and performance measures, we attempted to determine if there are behavioural correlates of atypical, i.e. right-hemispheric and bilateral, language lateralization. The side and degree of language lateralization were determined by measuring the hemispheric perfusion differences by functional transcranial Doppler ultrasonography during a word generation task in healthy volunteers. Subjects with left (n = 264), bilateral (n = 31) or right (n = 31) hemisphere language representation did not differ significantly with respect to mastery of foreign languages, academic achievement, artistic talents, verbal fluency or (as assessed in a representative subgroup) in intelligence or speed of linguistic processing. These findings suggest that atypical hemispheric specialization for language, i.e. right-hemisphere or bilateral specialization, is not associated with major impairments of linguistic faculties in otherwise healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Münster, Germany. knecht@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knecht
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dräger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flöel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lohmann
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Breitenstein
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deppe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Henningsen
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ringelstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004453:Echoencephalography; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler