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Neural regions essential for writing verbs

Nature Neuroscience volume 6, pages 19–20 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Functional imaging data collected during cognitive tasks show which brain regions are active during those tasks, but do not necessarily indicate which regions are essential for those tasks. Here, in a study of two cases of selectively impaired written naming of verbs after focal brain ischemia, we combined imaging and behavioral testing to unambiguously identify brain regions that are crucial for a specific cognitive process. We used magnetic resonance perfusion imaging to show that the selective impairment in each case was due to hypoperfusion (low blood flow) in left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (PIFG) and precentral gyrus (PrG); the impairment was immediately reversed when blood flow was restored to these regions, indicating that parts of the left frontal lobe are crucial for representing and processing verbs.

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Figure 1: Case 1's DWI (left) and PWI (right) scans before and after intervention to restore blood flow.
Figure 2: Case 2's DWI (left) and PWI (right) scans before and intervention to restore blood flow.
Figure 3

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants RO1 DC05375 and P41 RR15241 and by the Charles A. Dana Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, 21287, Maryland, USA

    Argye E. Hillis & Robert J. Wityk

  2. Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, 21287, Maryland, USA

    Peter B. Barker

  3. Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, 21218, Maryland, USA

    Argye E. Hillis

  4. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Alfonso Caramazza

Authors
  1. Argye E. Hillis
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  2. Robert J. Wityk
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  3. Peter B. Barker
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  4. Alfonso Caramazza
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Correspondence to Argye E. Hillis.

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Hillis, A., Wityk, R., Barker, P. et al. Neural regions essential for writing verbs. Nat Neurosci 6, 19–20 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn982

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