title: Patterns of brain reorganization subsequent to left fusiform damage: fMRI evidence from visual processing of words and pseudowords, faces and objects.
abstract: Little is known about the neural reorganization that takes place subsequent to lesions that affect orthographic processing (reading and/or spelling). We report on an fMRI investigation of an individual with a left mid-fusiform resection that affected both reading and spelling (Tsapkini & Rapp, 2010). To investigate possible patterns of functional reorganization, we compared the behavioral and neural activation patterns of this individual with those of a group of control participants for the tasks of silent reading of words and pseudowords and the passive viewing of faces and objects, all tasks that typically recruit the inferior temporal lobes. This comparison was carried out with methods that included a novel application of Mahalanobis distance statistics, and revealed: (1) normal behavioral and neural responses for face and object processing, (2) evidence of neural reorganization bilaterally in the posterior fusiform that supported normal performance in pseudoword reading and which contributed to word reading (3) evidence of abnormal recruitment of the bilateral anterior temporal lobes indicating compensatory (albeit insufficient) recruitment of mechanisms for circumventing the word reading deficit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. tsapkini@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Kyrana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsapkini
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vindiola
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rapp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009837:Oligodendroglioma / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011932:Reading; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D011999:Recruitment, Neurophysiological / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*