 
         
         Summary
         
         
            
               Objectives
               : In our previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we determined
            that there was distinct left hemispheric dominance for lexical- semantic processing
            without the influence of human voice perception in right-handed healthy subjects.
            However, the degree of right-handedness in the right-handed subjects ranged from 52
            to 100 according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) score. In the present
            study, we aimed to clarify the correlation between the degree of right-handedness
            and language dominance in the fronto-temporo-parietal cortices by examining cerebral
            activation for lexical-semantic processing.
         
         
            
               Methods
               : Twenty-seven normal right-handed healthy subjects were scanned by fMRI while listening
            to sentences (SEN), reverse sentences (rSEN), and identifiable non-vocal sounds (SND).
            Fronto-temporo-parietal activation was observed in the left hemisphere under the SEN
            - rSEN contrast, which included lexical- semantic processing without the influence
            of human voice perception. Laterality Indexwas calculated as LI = (L - R)/(L + R)
            X 100, L: left, R: right.
         
         
            
               Results
               : Laterality Index in the fronto-temporo-parietal cortices did not correlate with
            the degree of right-handedness in EHI score.
         
         
            
               Conclusions
               : The present study indicated that the degree of right-handedness from 52 to 100 in
            EHI score had no effect on the degree of left hemispheric dominance for lexical-semantic
            processing in right-handed healthy subjects.
         
         Keywords
Lexical-semantic processing - cerebral laterality - fMRI - Laterality Index - handedness