Neural Responses to Human Voice and Hemisphere Dominance for Lexical-semantic Processing

M. Koeda; H. Takahashi; N. Yahata; M. Matsuura; K. Asai; Y. Okubo; H. Tanaka

doi:10.1055/s-0038-1625416

Methods of Information in Medicine, Table of Contents

Methods Inf Med 2007; 46(02): 247-250
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1625416

Original Article

Schattauer GmbH

Neural Responses to Human Voice and Hemisphere Dominance for Lexical-semantic Processing

An fMRI Study

Authors

M. Koeda

¹Department of Bioinformatics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

⁶Department of Neuropsychiatry, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
H. Takahashi

²National Institute of Radiological Sciences Brain Imaging Project, Chiba, Japan
N. Yahata

³Department of Pharmacology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
M. Matsuura

⁴Department of Biofunctional Informatics, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
K. Asai

⁵Asai Hospital, Togane, Japan
Y. Okubo

⁶Department of Neuropsychiatry, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
H. Tanaka

¹Department of Bioinformatics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

⁷Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

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

Full Text

References

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