scholarly journals Time to Re-Think Broca: Extent of Resection and Neurological Outcome in Patients Harboring Tumors in the Dominant Inferior Frontal Gyrus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Suarez-Meade ◽  
Lina Marenco-Hillembrand ◽  
David Sabsevitz ◽  
Lela Okromelidze ◽  
Blake Perkidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Extent Of Resection ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Neurological Outcomes ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Stable Performance ◽  
And Function ◽  
Glioma Resection

Abstract Introduction/Purpose: There is a general lack of consensus onboth the anatomic definition and function of Broca’s area. Given the belief that this region plays a critical role in expressive language, resective surgery is often avoided topreserve function. However, the putative role of Broca’s area in speech production has been recently challenged.The current study aims to investigatethe feasibilityof glioma resection and neurological outcomes in “Broca’s area” in 15 patients.Methods: We report a feasibility study describing the resection of gliomas within the IFG. Awake brain surgery for resection with mapping and intraoperative neuropsychological evaluation was carried out in all individuals. Results: All included patientshad tumors located in traditional “Broca’s area” and eight patients (53.33%) had tumors that additionally extendedinto the insula and subinsular regions. During stimulation, positive speech-language sites within the IFG were identified in ten patients. Two patients (13.33%) experienced a declinein naming during intraoperative cognitive monitoring and thirteen (86.66%) had a stable performance throughout surgery. With all patients had recovery of language functions at a two-week follow up. Extent of resection was stratified in anatomical regions within the IFG, being the pOr the area with the greatest EOR (97.4%), followed by the pT (84.1%), pOp (83.8%), and vPMC (80%).Conclusion: The belief that Broca’s area is not safe to resect is challenged. Adequate mapping and careful patient selection allow maximum safe resection of tumors located in thetraditional “Broca’s area”,with low risk of postoperative morbidity.

scholarly journals fMRI Evidence for Cortical Modification during Learning of Mandarin Lexical Tone

2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 1019-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Wang ◽  
Joan A. Sereno ◽  
Allard Jongman ◽  
Joy Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Wernicke’S Area

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was employed before and after six native English speakers completed lexical tone training as part of a program to learn Mandarin as a second language. Language-related areas including Broca's area, Wernicke's area, auditory cortex, and supplementary motor regions were active in all subjects before and after training and did not vary in average location. Across all subjects, improvements in performance were associated with an increase in the spatial extent of activation in left superior temporal gyrus (Brodmann's area 22, putative Wernicke's area), the emergence of activity in adjacent Brodmann's area 42, and the emergence of activity in right inferior frontal gyrus (Brodmann's area 44), a homologue of putative Broca's area. These findings demonstrate a form of enrichment plasticity in which the early cortical effects of learning a tone-based second language involve both expansion of preexisting language-related areas and recruitment of additional cortical regions specialized for functions similar to the new language functions.

scholarly journals SURG-40. SURGICAL RESECTIONS IN BROCA’S AREA DO NOT LEAD TO BROCA’S APHASIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii212-ii212
Author(s):  
John Andrews ◽  
Nathan Cahn ◽  
Benjamin Speidel ◽  
Valerie Lu ◽  
Mitchel Berger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Surgery ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Supramarginal Gyrus ◽  
Broca's Aphasia ◽  
Broca’S Aphasia ◽  
Language Evaluations ◽  
Lesion Symptom Mapping ◽  
Normal Speech

Abstract Brodmann’s areas 44/45 of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), are the seat of Broca’s area. The Western Aphasia Battery is a commonly used language battery that diagnoses aphasias based on fluency, comprehension, naming and repetition. Broca’s aphasia is defined as low fluency (0-4/10), retained comprehension (4-10/10), and variable deficits in repetition (0-7.9/10) and naming (0-8/10). The purpose of this study was to find anatomic areas associated with Broca’s aphasia. Patients who underwent resective brain surgery in the dominant hemisphere were evaluated with standardized language batteries pre-op, POD 2, and 1-month post-op. The resection cavities were outlined to construct 3D-volumes of interest. These were aligned using an affine transformation to MNI brain space. A voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) algorithm determined areas associated with Broca’s aphasia when incorporated into a resection. Post-op MRIs were reviewed blindly and percent involvement of pars orbitalis, triangularis and opercularis was recorded. 287 patients had pre-op and POD 2 language evaluations and 178 had 1 month post-op language evaluation. 82/287 patients had IFG involvement in resections. Only 5/82 IFG resections led to Broca’s aphasia. 11/16 patients with Broca’s aphasia at POD 2 had no involvement of IFG in resection. 35% of IFG resections were associated with non-specific dysnomia and 36% were normal. By one-month, 76% of patients had normal speech. 80% of patients with Broca’s aphasia at POD 2 improved to normal speech at 1-month, with 20% improved to non-specific dysnomia. The most highly correlated (P< 0.005) anatomic areas with Broca’s aphasia were juxta-sylvian pre- and post-central gyrus extending to supramarginal gyrus. While Broca’s area resections were rarely associated with Broca’s aphasia, juxta-sylvian pre- and post-central gyri extending to the supramarginal gyrus were statistically associated with Broca’s type aphasia when resected. These results have implications for planning resective brain surgery in these presumed eloquent brain areas.

scholarly journals Intraoperative subcortical mapping of a language-associated deep frontal tract connecting the superior frontal gyrus to Broca's area in the dominant hemisphere of patients with glioma

2015 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1390-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masazumi Fujii ◽  
Satoshi Maesawa ◽  
Kazuya Motomura ◽  
Miyako Futamura ◽  
Yuichiro Hayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Navigation System ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Language Function ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Mr Images ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Subcortical Mapping

OBJECT The deep frontal pathway connecting the superior frontal gyrus to Broca's area, recently named the frontal aslant tract (FAT), is assumed to be associated with language functions, especially speech initiation and spontaneity. Injury to the deep frontal lobe is known to cause aphasia that mimics the aphasia caused by damage to the supplementary motor area. Although fiber dissection and tractography have revealed the existence of the tract, little is known about its function. The aim of this study was to determine the function of the FAT via electrical stimulation in patients with glioma who underwent awake surgery. METHODS The authors analyzed the data from subcortical mapping with electrical stimulation in 5 consecutive cases (3 males and 2 females, age range 40–54 years) with gliomas in the left frontal lobe. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography of the FAT were performed in all cases. A navigation system and intraoperative MRI were used in all cases. During the awake phase of the surgery, cortical mapping was performed to find the precentral gyrus and Broca's area, followed by tumor resection. After the cortical layer was removed, subcortical mapping was performed to assess language-associated fibers in the white matter. RESULTS In all 5 cases, positive responses were obtained at the stimulation sites in the subcortical area adjacent to the FAT, which was visualized by the navigation system. Speech arrest was observed in 4 cases, and remarkably slow speech and conversation was observed in 1 case. The location of these sites was also determined on intraoperative MR images and estimated on preoperative MR images with DTI tractography, confirming the spatial relationships among the stimulation sites and white matter tracts. Tumor removal was successfully performed without damage to this tract, and language function did not deteriorate in any of the cases postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS The authors identified the left FAT and confirmed that it was associated with language functions. This tract should be recognized by clinicians to preserve language function during brain tumor surgery, especially for tumors located in the deep frontal lobe on the language-dominant side.

scholarly journals Towards a causal role of Broca's area in language: A TMS-EEG study on syntactic prediction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Maran ◽  
Ole Numssen ◽  
Gesa Hartwigsen ◽  
Angela D. Friederici ◽  
Emiliano Zaccarella
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Predictive Mechanisms

Categorical predictions have been proposed as the key mechanism supporting the fast pace of syntactic composition in human language. Accordingly, grammar-based expectations facilitate the analysis of incoming syntactic information - e.g., hearing the determiner 'the' enhances the prediction of a noun - which is then checked against a single or few other word categories. Previous functional neuroimaging studies point towards Broca's area in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) as one fundamental cortical region involved in categorical prediction during on-line language processing. Causal evidence for this hypothesis is however still missing. In this study, we combined Electroencephalography (EEG) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to test whether Broca's area is functionally relevant in predictive mechanisms for language. Specifically, we transiently perturbed Broca's area during the categorical prediction phase in two-word constructions, while simultaneously measuring the Event-Related Potential (ERP) correlates of syntactic composition. We reasoned that if Broca's area is involved in predictive mechanisms for syntax, disruptive TMS during the processing of the first word (determiner/pronoun) would mitigate the difference in ERP responses for predicted and unpredicted categories when composing basic phrases and sentences. Contrary to our hypothesis, perturbation of Broca's area at the predictive stage did not affect the ERP correlates of basic composition. The correlation strength between the electrical field induced by TMS and the magnitude of the EEG response on the scalp further confirmed this pattern. We discuss the present results in light of an alternative account of the role of Broca's area in syntactic composition, namely the bottom-up integration of words into constituents.

On the Neurocognitive Co-Evolution of Tool Behavior and Language: Insights from the Massive Redeployment Framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Osiurak ◽  
Caroline Crétel ◽  
Natalie Uomini ◽  
Chloé Bryche ◽  
Mathieu Lesourd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Tool Use ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Area ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Inferior Parietal Lobe

Understanding the link between brain evolution and the evolution of distinctive features of modern human cognition is a fundamental challenge. A still unresolved question concerns the co-evolution of tool behavior (i.e., tool use or tool making) and language. The shared neurocognitive processes hypothesis suggests that the emergence of the combinatorial component of language skills within the frontal lobe/Broca’s area made possible the complexification of tool-making skills. The importance of frontal lobe/Broca’s area in tool behavior is somewhat surprising with regard to the literature on neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience, which has instead stressed the critical role of the left inferior parietal lobe. Therefore, to be complete, any version of the shared neurocognitive processes hypothesis needs to integrate the potential interactions between the frontal lobe/Broca’s area and the left inferior parietal lobe as well as their co-evolution at a phylogenetic level. Here we sought to provide first elements of answer through the use of the massive deployment framework, which posits that evolutionarily older brain areas are deployed in more cognitive functions (i.e., they are less specific). We focused on the left parietal cortex, and particularly the left areas PF, PGI, and AIP, which are known to be involved in tool use, language, and motor control, respectively. The deployment of each brain area in different cognitive functions was measured by conducting a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Our results confirmed the pattern of specificity for each brain area and also showed that the left area PGI was far less specific than the left areas PF and AIP. From these findings, we discuss the different evolutionary scenarios depicting the potential co-evolution of the combinatorial and generative components of language and tool behavior in our lineage.

The temporal cortex

2020 ◽  
pp. 253-259
Author(s):  
Edmund T. Rolls
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Visual Object ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Semantic Representations ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Anterior Temporal Lobe ◽  
Face Expression

The inferior and middle temporal gyri are involved visual object recognition, with the more dorsal areas involved in face expression, gesture, and motion representation that is useful in social behaviour. The superior temporal cortex is involved in auditory processing. The anterior temporal lobe is involved in semantic representations, for example information about objects, people, and places. Network mechanisms involved in semantic representations are described. The output of this system reaches the inferior frontal gyrus, which on the left is Broca’s area, involved in language production. The concept that the semantics for language are computed in the anterior temporal lobe, and communicates with Broca’s area for speech production, is introduced.

Speech and language functions that depend on Broca’s area

2006 ◽  
Vol 99 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 142-143
Author(s):  
Cameron Davis ◽  
Jonathan T. Kleinman ◽  
Melissa Newhart ◽  
Jennifer Heidler-Gary ◽  
Argye E. Hillis
Keyword(s):  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Speech And Language ◽  
Language Functions

scholarly journals Morphology and Hemispheric and Gender difference of the Anterior Ascending Ramus and the Horizontal Ascending Ramus of the Lateral Sulcus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Wang ◽  
shuwei liu ◽  
Fei fei Xu ◽  
Lan wei Hou ◽  
Wen Juan Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Gender Difference ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Average Width ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Morphological Patterns

Abstract Broca’s area is composed of the pars opercularis (PO) and the pars triangularis (PTR) of the inferior frontal gyrus，which was separated by the anterior ascending ramus of lateral sulcus (aals) and the horizontal ascending ramus of the lateral sulcus (hals). The morphometry of these two sulci maybe have potential effects on the various functions of Broca’s area. To explore the morphology variation, hemispheric and gender difference of these two sulci, so as to enable better understanding of their patterns and the functions of the Broca’s area. BrainVISA was used to reconstruct and parameterize these two sulci with 3D MR images of 90 healthy right-handed subjects. The 3D anatomic morphology of these two sulci was presented using 4 sulcal parameters, including average depth (AD), average width (AW), top length (TL) and bottom length (BL). The aals could be identified in 98.89% of the hemispheres, while the hals could be identified in 98.33%. The morphological patterns of these two sulci were categorized into four main types. There were no statistically significant interhemispheric and gender differences in the frequency of the morphological patterns. There was statistically significant interhemispheric difference in BL of the aals and AW of the hals. Significant gender differences were found in the bilateral AD of the aals and the BL and TL of the hals in right hemisphere. Our results will not only provide structural basis for the functional studies that related to Broca’s area, but also be helpful for the precise positioning of special structures in neurosurgery.

scholarly journals Redefining the role of Broca’s area in speech

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (9) ◽  
pp. 2871-2875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeen Flinker ◽  
Anna Korzeniewska ◽  
Avgusta Y. Shestyuk ◽  
Piotr J. Franaszczuk ◽  
Nina F. Dronkers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Neurosurgical Patients

For over a century neuroscientists have debated the dynamics by which human cortical language networks allow words to be spoken. Although it is widely accepted that Broca’s area in the left inferior frontal gyrus plays an important role in this process, it was not possible, until recently, to detail the timing of its recruitment relative to other language areas, nor how it interacts with these areas during word production. Using direct cortical surface recordings in neurosurgical patients, we studied the evolution of activity in cortical neuronal populations, as well as the Granger causal interactions between them. We found that, during the cued production of words, a temporal cascade of neural activity proceeds from sensory representations of words in temporal cortex to their corresponding articulatory gestures in motor cortex. Broca’s area mediates this cascade through reciprocal interactions with temporal and frontal motor regions. Contrary to classic notions of the role of Broca’s area in speech, while motor cortex is activated during spoken responses, Broca’s area is surprisingly silent. Moreover, when novel strings of articulatory gestures must be produced in response to nonword stimuli, neural activity is enhanced in Broca’s area, but not in motor cortex. These unique data provide evidence that Broca’s area coordinates the transformation of information across large-scale cortical networks involved in spoken word production. In this role, Broca’s area formulates an appropriate articulatory code to be implemented by motor cortex.

Corollary discharge, auditory hallucinations and schizophrenia – a structural network analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S18-S19
Author(s):  
R. Henze ◽  
C. Goch ◽  
J. Richter ◽  
P. Parzer ◽  
R. Brunner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Processing ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Auditory Hallucinations ◽  
Inner Speech ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Structural Network ◽  
Wernicke’S Area

IntroductionCorollary discharges (CDs) are the reason most people cannot tickle themselves. They are the brain's way of distinguishing whether a stimulus is associated with one's own actions or something else. In neural terms, CDs are copies of motor plans that are propagated to sensory cortex where they can be compared with inputs. A range of phenomena associated with schizophrenia from auditory hallucinations to visual processing difficulties to the ability of patients to tickle themselves can be explained as pathologies in CD mechanisms. Auditory hallucinations for example involve patients failing to perceive themselves as the author of their own inner speech.Objectives and aimsTo test whether schizophrenia is associated with a structural network disruption that could impair CD signals involved in language processing, adolescents with schizophrenia were examined using magnetic resonance imaging and compared to healthy controls.MethodsA graph theoretical approach was used to analyse the connectivity in networks centered on:– Broca's area;– Wernicke's area.Connectivity information was acquired using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).ResultsCompared to healthy controls, adolescents with schizophrenia displayed a lower average degree of connectivity with the left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area). No significant differences were found in the degree of connectivity with the right inferior frontal gyrus and the superior temporal gyrus bilaterally (Wernicke's area).ConclusionsThe results suggest a link between schizophrenia and impairment to areas where CDs associated with inner speech plausibly originate.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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