Can small lesions induce language reorganization as large lesions do?
Shift of the cortical mechanisms of language from the usually dominant left to the non-dominant right hemisphere has been demonstrated in the presence of large brain lesions. Here, we report a similar phenomenon in a patient with a cavernoma over the anterolateral superior temporal gyrus associated with epilepsy. Language mapping was performed by two complementary procedures, magnetoencephalography, and electrocorticography. The maps, indicated right temporal lobe dominance for receptive language and left frontal lobe dominance for expressive language. These results indicate that a small lesion, associated with epilepsy, may produce selective shifting of receptive language mechanisms as large lesions have been known to produce.
Maestú
Fernando
F
Centro de Magnetoencefalografia Dr Pérez Modrego, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain.
Saldaña
Cristobal
C
Amo
Carlos
C
González-Hidalgo
Mercedes
M
Fernandez
Alberto
A
Fernandez
Santiago
S
Mata
Pedro
P
Papanicolaou
Andrew
A
Ortiz
Tomas
T
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D020786:Hemangioma, Cavernous, Central Nervous System / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male