The role of the left frontal lobe in action naming: rTMS evidence.
BACKGROUND
Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies suggest that whereas the left temporal neocortex plays a crucial role in all tasks involving lexical-semantic processing, some regions of the left prefrontal convexity are selectively recruited during verb processing.


OBJECTIVE
To determine if there are different neural correlates for noun and verb processing in the human brain.


METHODS
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), 20 Hz at 90% of the motor threshold, was applied to left or right prefrontal brain during object- and action-naming tasks in nine healthy subjects.


RESULTS
A shortening of naming latency for actions was observed only after stimulation of left prefrontal cortex.


CONCLUSIONS
The involvement of the left dorsolateral frontal cortex in action naming was demonstrated using rTMS.
Cappa
S F
SF
IRCCS S. Giovanni di Dio, Brescia, Italy. cappa.stefano@hsr.it
Sandrini
M
M
Rossini
P M
PM
Sosta
K
K
Miniussi
C
C
D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology