Ng V W, Eslinger P J, Williams S C, Brammer M J, Bullmore E T, Andrew C M, Suckling J, Morris R G, Benton A L
Neuroimaging Research Group, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2000 Jun;10(2):80-6. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0193(200006)10:2<80::aid-hbm40>3.0.co;2-2.
Historically, the left cerebral hemisphere has been considered specialized for language, whereas the right cerebral hemisphere is aligned with spatial processes. However, studies have called into question adherence to this model and suggested that both hemispheres participate in language and spatial cognition. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and human brain lesion studies, we determined whether these complementary techniques could clarify issues of hemispheric dominance. Using a modified Benton Judgement of Line Orientation (JLO) test, considered a relatively pure spatial processing task, we found robust and significant (p < 0.0005) bilateral superior parietal lobe activation on fMRI in ten right-handed male adult volunteers. This was corroborated by lesion data in a cohort of 17 patients who showed significant JLO impairments after either right or left parietal lobe damage, with right parietal damage associated with somewhat more severe deficit. Detailed wavelet analysis of the fMRI time-series did, however, reveal a more dominant role of the right parietal lobe in "kick-starting" the task. To our knowledge, this is a novel way of using fMRI to address functional hemispheric differences in a cognitive task that is known to have bilateral representation.
从历史上看，左脑半球一直被认为专门负责语言功能，而右脑半球则与空间处理功能相关联。然而，一些研究对这种模式的适用性提出了质疑，并表明两个半球都参与语言和空间认知。通过使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）和人脑损伤研究，我们确定了这些互补技术是否能够阐明半球优势的问题。使用一种经过改良的本顿线方向判断（JLO）测试（这被认为是一项相对纯粹的空间处理任务），我们在10名右利手成年男性志愿者中发现，fMRI显示双侧顶上叶有强烈且显著（p < 0.0005）的激活。在一组17名患者的损伤数据中也得到了证实，这些患者在右侧或左侧顶叶受损后均表现出显著的JLO损伤，右侧顶叶损伤导致的缺陷更为严重。然而，对fMRI时间序列的详细小波分析确实揭示了右侧顶叶在“启动”该任务中发挥了更主要的作用。据我们所知，这是一种利用fMRI来解决已知具有双侧表征的认知任务中功能半球差异的新方法。
