Where (in the brain) do semantic errors come from?

Lauren Cloutman, Rebecca Gottesman, Priyanka Chaudhry, Cameron Davis, Jonathan T. Kleinman, Mikolaj Pawlak, Edward H. Herskovits, Vijay Kannan, Andrew Lee, Melissa Newhart, Jennifer Heidler-Gary, Argye E. Hillis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

67 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Semantic errors result from the disruption of access either to semantics or to lexical representations. One way to determine the origins of these errors is to evaluate comprehension of words that elicit semantic errors in naming. We hypothesized that in acute stroke there are different brain regions where dysfunction results in semantic errors in both naming and comprehension versus those with semantic errors in oral naming alone. Methods: A consecutive series of 196 patients with acute left hemispheric stroke who met inclusion criteria were evaluated with oral naming and spoken word/picture verification tasks and magnetic resonance imaging within 48 h of stroke onset. We evaluated the relationship between tissue dysfunction in 10 pre-specified Brodmann's areas (BA) and the production of coordinate semantic errors resulting from (1) semantic deficits or (2) lexical access deficits. Results: Semantic errors arising from semantic deficits were most associated with tissue dysfunction/infarct of left BA 22. Semantic errors resulting from lexical access deficits were associated with hypoperfusion/infarct of left BA 37. Conclusion: Our study shows that semantic errors arising from damage to distinct cognitive processes reflect dysfunction of different brain regions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)641-649
Number of pages9
JournalCortex
Volume45
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2009

Keywords

  • Acute ischemic stroke
  • Aphasia
  • Perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging
  • Semantics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Where (in the brain) do semantic errors come from?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this