Handedness and functional MRI-activation patterns in sentence processing

Neuroreport. 2007 Aug 27;18(13):1339-43. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32825a67db.

Abstract

We investigate differences of cerebral activation in 12 right-handed and left-handed participants, respectively, using a sentence-processing task. Functional MRI shows activation of left-frontal and inferior-parietal speech areas (BA 44, BA9, BA 40) in both groups, but a stronger bilateral activation in left-handers. Direct group comparison reveals a stronger activation in right-frontal cortex (BA 47, BA 6) and left cerebellum in left-handers. Laterality indices for the inferior-frontal cortex are less asymmetric in left-handers and are not related to the degree of handedness. Thus, our results show that sentence-processing induced enhanced activation involving a bilateral network in left-handed participants.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation / methods
  • Adult
  • Brain / blood supply*
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • Language*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Male
  • Oxygen / blood

Substances

  • Oxygen