Early brain lesions and face-processing development.
Studies of functional plasticity after pre- or perinatal brain damage can tell us whether the neural substrate normally involved in the development of a given ability is specific and, if so, when it becomes functionally specified and unique. Development of face processing was investigated in 5- to 17-year-old children who had a unilateral brain injury in the pre-, peri-, or postnatal period. In Studies 1 and 2, patients with a posterior injury involving the temporal regions exhibited a face-processing deficit that was independent of their age at test time. Even though differences were observed between the two hemispheres in face processing during infancy as well as in adults in cases of normal development, no clear differences between right and left injury were observed here in face-processing deficit. Poor postlesional face-processing plasticity seems to contrast with results of several studies on speech development after early unilateral injury. If the difference in the time window for postlesional plasticity between these two areas of competency is confirmed, it would suggest that the two kinds of abilities rely on neural cells which are sensitive to different plasticity factors.
de Schonen
Scania
S
CNRS-University Paris 5 and Service of Pediatric Neurology and Metabolic Diseases, Hopital Robert Debré, CHU Xavier Bichat, Paris, France.
Mancini
Josette
J
Camps
Roselyne
R
Maes
Emanuelle
E
Laurent
Agathe
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000150:complications; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis