title: Contribution to the evaluation of language disturbances in subcortical lesions: a pilot study.
abstract: Subcortical structures are in a strategic functional position within the cognitive networks and their lesion can interfere with a great number of functions. In this study, we describe fourteen subjects with exclusively subcortical vascular lesions (eight in the basal ganglia and six in the thalamus) and the interrelation between their language alterations and other cognitive abilities, as attention, memory and frontal executive functions. All patients were evaluated through the following batteries: Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, Token Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Trail Making, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and a frontal scripts task. All patients underwent MRI and twelve underwent SPECT. Results show that these patients present impairment in several cognitive domains, especially attention and executive functions. These alterations affect language abilities, and this fact must be considered in the rehabilitation efforts.
authors.affiliation: Departament Neurology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. radano@tecway.com.br.
authors.forename: Márcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radanovic
authors.forename: Letícia Lessa
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Mansur
authors.forename: Mariana Jardim
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Azambuja
authors.forename: Cláudia Sellitto
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Porto
authors.forename: Milberto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scaff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010865:Pilot Projects; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon