Differential Patterns of Language and Motor Reorganization Following Early Left Hemisphere Lesion

Abstract

The findings suggest a greater potential for homotopic interhemispheric reorganization in the language than in the motor domain. Interhemispheric motor reorganization was generally limited.

In Your Right Mind: Right Hemisphere Contributions to Language Processing and Production

“…Though functional imaging indicated minimal RH activation preoperatively, post-surgery both expressive and receptive language tasks prompted RH activation in regions mirroring those previously activated in the LH. Similar shifts in activation from the LH to RH have also been reported in children (ages 6-16) with unilateral cerebral lesion (Mueller et al, 1998), implicating enhanced RH participation in language processing. There is clearly remarkable plasticity in the immature brain, perhaps indicating that language function is reorganised within a pre-existing bilateral network (Hertz-Pannier et al).…”

Altered cortical activation during a motor task in ALS

“…The motor system shows parallel as well as hierarchical organisation, and reorganisation within the motor system is known to occur in patients with vascular, traumatic and neoplastic lesions [27][28][29][30]. PET studies of patients recovering from striatocapsular motor strokes have shown a strikingly similar pattern of change to that observed in our ALS patients, with increased activation in ipsilateral premotor cortex and in BA 40 [27].…”

Recovery from Aphasia and Neglect

“…Most of the functional studies found a circulatory or metabolic enhancement both on the non-damaged areas of the LH and on the homotopic frontal and temporal regions of the RH. They showed that there is a greater potential for homotopic interhemispheric reorganisation for language than for motor functions [67].…”