Brain damage and cortical compensation in foreign accent syndrome.
Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is a well-known neurological deficit whose underlying cause has remained obscure despite almost a century of study. Combining structural and functional imaging, our studies suggest that FAS represents a compensatory response to impaired motor regulation of speech. We describe a patient who acquired FAS as a result of an ischemic stroke in the left basal ganglia. In addition to this case being exceptionally clean, we were able to confirm a specific lesion location as well as provide strong evidence that impaired motor speech regulation resulted in compensation by other areas of the cortical motor speech network.
Fridriksson
Julius
J
Department of Communicative Sciences & Disorders, University of South Carolina, SC, USA. jfridrik@sc.edu
Ryalls
Jack
J
Rorden
Chris
C
Morgan
Paul S
PS
George
Mark S
MS
Baylis
Gordon C
GC
D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*