Rational Speech Therapy on the Basis of Differences in Functional Magnetic Resonance Activation (Original)

We have previously reported that two patients who showed complete recovery from Brocaʼ s and Wernickeʼ s aphasia exhibited activation of only compensatory areas of the right hemisphere during repetition tasks.In the present study we compared functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fM RI) findings obtained with repetition tasks in healthy subjects.When subjects silently repeated sentences,the only recognized areas of activation in the right hemisphere were the superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and precentral gyrus.When sentences were repeated aloud, recognized areas of activation in the right hemisphere were the superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and precentral gyrus.Activated areas in the left hemisphere were similar when sentences were repeated aloud or silently: the superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus,middle frontal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus,and precentral gyrus.If the extent of recovery from severe aphasia is related to activation in the right hemisphere, as suggested by previous reports, speech therapy for patients with aphasia should aim to activate the right hemisphere.