title: Where (in the brain) do semantic errors come from?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Semantic errors result from the disruption of access either to semantics or to lexical representations. One way to determine the origins of these errors is to evaluate comprehension of words that elicit semantic errors in naming. We hypothesized that in acute stroke there are different brain regions where dysfunction results in semantic errors in both naming and comprehension versus those with semantic errors in oral naming alone.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consecutive series of 196 patients with acute left hemispheric stroke who met inclusion criteria were evaluated with oral naming and spoken word/picture verification tasks and magnetic resonance imaging within 48 h of stroke onset. We evaluated the relationship between tissue dysfunction in 10 pre-specified Brodmann's areas (BA) and the production of coordinate semantic errors resulting from (1) semantic deficits or (2) lexical access deficits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Semantic errors arising from semantic deficits were most associated with tissue dysfunction/infarct of left BA 22. Semantic errors resulting from lexical access deficits were associated with hypoperfusion/infarct of left BA 37.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that semantic errors arising from damage to distinct cognitive processes reflect dysfunction of different brain regions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cloutman
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gottesman
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chaudhry
authors.forename: Cameron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Jonathan T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.forename: Mikolaj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pawlak
authors.forename: Edward H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Herskovits
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Newhart
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heidler-Gary
authors.forename: Argye E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hillis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D032882:Comprehension; D003210:Concept Formation; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012660:Semantics; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology