Journal
COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL NEUROLOGY
Volume 22, Issue 2, Pages 73-80Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/WNN.0b013e318197925d
Keywords
dementia; semantic memory; voxel-based morphometry
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke [R01 NS50915]
- National Institute on Aging [P01 AG019724, P50 AG-03-006]
- California Department of Health Services [DHS 04-35516]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective: To investigate the neural correlates of verbal and nonverbal semantic processing in neurodegenerative disease. Background: Semantic memory is often impaired in neurodegenerative disease. Neuropsychologic and functional neuroimaging studies suggest that the semantic processing of verbal and nonverbal stimuli may depend oil partially distinct brain networks. Methods: We examined this possibility using voxel-based morphometry to correlate performance on verbal and nonverbal versions of a semantic association task with regional gray matter atrophy in 144 individuals with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Results: Results showed that, regardless of stimulus type, semantic processing correlated with atrophy in both temporal lobes. In addition, material-specific correlations were found in left temporal regions for verbal stimuli and the right fusiform gyrus for nonverbal stimuli. Conclusions: These results provide evidence for a differential role of the left and right hemispheres in the extraction of semantic information from verbal and pictorial representations. Areas in right inferior temporal lobe may be necessary to access structural descriptions of visually presented objects.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available