Can the language-dominant hemisphere be predicted by brain anatomy?
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Can the language-dominant hemisphere be predicted by brain anatomy? / Keller, Simon S; Roberts, Neil; García-Fiñana, Marta; Mohammadi, Siawoosh; Ringelstein, E Bernd; Knecht, Stefan; Deppe, Michael.
In: J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI, Vol. 23, No. 8, 01.08.2011, p. 2013-29.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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T1 - Can the language-dominant hemisphere be predicted by brain anatomy?
AU - Keller, Simon S
AU - Roberts, Neil
AU - García-Fiñana, Marta
AU - Mohammadi, Siawoosh
AU - Ringelstein, E Bernd
AU - Knecht, Stefan
AU - Deppe, Michael
PY - 2011/8/1
Y1 - 2011/8/1
N2 - It has long been suspected that cortical interhemispheric asymmetries may underlie hemispheric language dominance (HLD). To test this hypothesis, we determined interhemispheric asymmetries using stereology and MRI of three cortical regions hypothesized to be related to HLD (Broca's area, planum temporale, and insula) in healthy adults in whom HLD was determined using functional transcranial Doppler sonography and functional MRI (15 left HLD, 10 right HLD). We observed no relationship between volume asymmetry of the gyral correlates of Broca's area or planum temporale and HLD. However, we observed a robust relationship between volume asymmetry of the insula and HLD (p = .008), which predicted unilateral HLD in 88% individuals (86.7% left HDL and 90% right HLD). There was also a subtle but significant positive correlation between the extent of HLD and insula volume asymmetry (p = .02), indicating that a larger insula predicted functional lateralization to the same hemispheric side for the majority of subjects. We found no visual evidence of basic anatomical markers of HLD other than that the termination of the right posterior sylvian fissure was more likely to be vertical than horizontal in right HLD subjects (p = .02). Predicting HLD by virtue of gross brain anatomy is complicated by interindividual variability in sulcal contours, and the possibility remains that morphological and cytoarchitectural organization of the classical language regions may underlie HLD when analyses are not constrained by the natural limits imposed by measurement of gyral volume. Although the anatomical correlates of HLD will most likely be found to include complex intra- and interhemispheric connections, there is the possibility that such connectivity may correlate with gray matter morphology. We suggest that the potential significance of insular morphology should be considered in future studies addressing the anatomical correlates of human language lateralization.
AB - It has long been suspected that cortical interhemispheric asymmetries may underlie hemispheric language dominance (HLD). To test this hypothesis, we determined interhemispheric asymmetries using stereology and MRI of three cortical regions hypothesized to be related to HLD (Broca's area, planum temporale, and insula) in healthy adults in whom HLD was determined using functional transcranial Doppler sonography and functional MRI (15 left HLD, 10 right HLD). We observed no relationship between volume asymmetry of the gyral correlates of Broca's area or planum temporale and HLD. However, we observed a robust relationship between volume asymmetry of the insula and HLD (p = .008), which predicted unilateral HLD in 88% individuals (86.7% left HDL and 90% right HLD). There was also a subtle but significant positive correlation between the extent of HLD and insula volume asymmetry (p = .02), indicating that a larger insula predicted functional lateralization to the same hemispheric side for the majority of subjects. We found no visual evidence of basic anatomical markers of HLD other than that the termination of the right posterior sylvian fissure was more likely to be vertical than horizontal in right HLD subjects (p = .02). Predicting HLD by virtue of gross brain anatomy is complicated by interindividual variability in sulcal contours, and the possibility remains that morphological and cytoarchitectural organization of the classical language regions may underlie HLD when analyses are not constrained by the natural limits imposed by measurement of gyral volume. Although the anatomical correlates of HLD will most likely be found to include complex intra- and interhemispheric connections, there is the possibility that such connectivity may correlate with gray matter morphology. We suggest that the potential significance of insular morphology should be considered in future studies addressing the anatomical correlates of human language lateralization.
KW - Adult
KW - Brain
KW - Brain Mapping
KW - Dominance, Cerebral
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
KW - Language
KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging
KW - Male
KW - Oxygen
KW - Predictive Value of Tests
KW - Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial
KW - Young Adult
U2 - 10.1162/jocn.2010.21563
DO - 10.1162/jocn.2010.21563
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 20807056
VL - 23
SP - 2013
EP - 2029
JO - J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI
JF - J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI
SN - 0898-929X
IS - 8
ER -