RIGHT TEMPORAL COMPENSATORY MECHANISMS IN A DEEP DYSPHASIC PATIENT - A CASE-REPORT WITH ACTIVATION STUDY BY SPECT

A brain activation study using SPECT and Xe-133 in a deep dysphasic pa tient with left temporal lesion is presented. The activation paradigm consisted of a passive listening to foreign language as baseline, a ph oneme monitoring condition and a semantic word monitoring condition. T he specific activation of the right middle temporal cortex observed in the semantic condition is congruent with the hypothesis of a compensa tory role of the right hemisphere in processing concrete words. This c ase illustrates the interest of functional imaging for a better unders tanding of neural mechanisms of functional recovery after brain injury .