Bilateral representation of language: A critical review and analysis of some unusual cases

I'm sure your speech therapist and neurologist have already noticed this in their patients.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0911604413000602

• Byron Bernal^a,
• Alfredo Ardila^{b, ,}

• ^a Department of Radiology/Research Institute, Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
• ^b Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

Choose an option to locate/access this article:

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution

Check access

Purchase $39.95

• 

---

Highlights

•

Language is usually and mostly associated with the left hemisphere activity.

•

There is diverse evidence of potential bilateral representation of language.

•

Two classifications of language lateralization patterns can be suggested.

---

Abstract

It is well known that for right-handed individuals, language is usually and mostly associated with the left hemisphere activity. The question of the potential bilateral representation of language, however, has been barely approached. The evidence regarding the bilateral representation of language taken from Wada test, PET, fMRI, tractography, and magneto-encephalography is examined. Departing from the modularity concept and data flow computing models, two classifications – topographic and functional – of potential language lateralization patterns are proposed; it is pointed out that language can be bilaterally represented in different patterns, accordingly with the distribution of the main domains (expressive vs. receptive) and their subfunctions; and with respect to different modalities of data flow. Five illustrative cases of bilateral representation of language are presented. It is concluded that language dominance is mostly a matter of hemispheric advantage for a specific cognitive function.

Graph at link.