Asymmetry of brain functional activation: fMRI study under language and music stimulation

Objective To determine the asymmetry of the human brain functional activati on. Methods With the help of GE Signa Horizon MRI cystem, 14 cases of right-han ded volunteers were examined and the blood oxygenation level dependent meth od was used. The T1-weighted images were obtained with spin echo pulse sequ ence and the functional imaging (T2*-weighted) was performed using a single shot echo planar imaging pulse sequence. Data analysis was done with Sun S pare Workstation and by the method of student t test or correlation analysi s. Results Most of activation areas were in the left hemisphere under language stimulation, while they were in the right side under music stimulation. Be sides, a few brain areas in the contralateral cerebral cortex were also act ivated under both stimulations. Conclusion The present study supported the hypothesis of the asymmetry of b rain functional activation and many brain areas of the cerebral cortex as w ell as both hemispheres worked in coordination. In addition, it also proved that fMRI is a feasible method in the study of human brain in vivo.