TY - JOUR
T1 - MRI asymmetries of Broca's area
T2 - The pars triangularis and pars opercularis
AU - Foundas, Anne L.
AU - Eure, Kathy F.
AU - Luevano, Laura F.
AU - Weinberger, Daniel R.
N1 - Funding Information:
These data were presented in part at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, San Francisco, CA., March 28, 1996. This study was supported in part by NIH/ NIDCD Grant K08-DC00135-01 (ALF). We thank Carin Fernandez and Laura Cardin for their assistance in preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 1998/10/1
Y1 - 1998/10/1
N2 - Broca's area, which includes the pars triangularis (PTR) and pars opercularis (POP), is a neuroanatomic region important in speech-language production. Previous data demonstrated that PTR asymmetries are highly correlated with language dominance determined by selective hemispheric anesthesia or Wada testing, suggesting that asymmetries of the PTR may, in part, predict language dominance. The POP, however, has not been measured on volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and therefore, it is unclear whether morphological asymmetries of the POP exist, and whether these asymmetries differ in right- and left-handers. The purpose of this study was to determine if measurable asymmetries of the POP exist on MRI, and whether the direction of the asymmetries differ in right- and left-handers. The PTR and POP were measured on volumetric MRI scans of 16 right-handers and 16 left-handers matched for age and gender. There was a significant leftward asymmetry of the PTR in right- and left-handers, although the asymmetry was reduced in the left-handers. In contrast, there was a leftward asymmetry of the POP in righthanders, and a rightward asymmetry in the left-handers. Handedness, derived from a handedness inventory, was positively correlated with POP asymmetry.
AB - Broca's area, which includes the pars triangularis (PTR) and pars opercularis (POP), is a neuroanatomic region important in speech-language production. Previous data demonstrated that PTR asymmetries are highly correlated with language dominance determined by selective hemispheric anesthesia or Wada testing, suggesting that asymmetries of the PTR may, in part, predict language dominance. The POP, however, has not been measured on volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and therefore, it is unclear whether morphological asymmetries of the POP exist, and whether these asymmetries differ in right- and left-handers. The purpose of this study was to determine if measurable asymmetries of the POP exist on MRI, and whether the direction of the asymmetries differ in right- and left-handers. The PTR and POP were measured on volumetric MRI scans of 16 right-handers and 16 left-handers matched for age and gender. There was a significant leftward asymmetry of the PTR in right- and left-handers, although the asymmetry was reduced in the left-handers. In contrast, there was a leftward asymmetry of the POP in righthanders, and a rightward asymmetry in the left-handers. Handedness, derived from a handedness inventory, was positively correlated with POP asymmetry.
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U2 - 10.1006/brln.1998.1974
DO - 10.1006/brln.1998.1974
M3 - Article
C2 - 9743543
AN - SCOPUS:0032190607
SN - 0093-934X
VL - 64
SP - 282
EP - 296
JO - Brain and Language
JF - Brain and Language
IS - 3
ER -