The role of right hemispheric information processing strategies in language recovery in aphasia: an electroencephalographic investigation of hemispheric alpha asymmetries in normal and aphasic subjects.

The hemispheric alpha asymmetries of a group of normal males, a group of normal females and a group of aphasic patients (fluent and dysfluent) were examined with electroencephalographic (EEG) techniques during the presentation of sentencial information (which the subjects were to repeat following presentation of each sentence) and connected verbal discourse (which the subjects were required to answer questions about following presentation). Results demonstrated both fluent and nonfluent aphasic patients to show less alpha in the right hemisphere contrasted with both normal groups who demonstrated less alpha in the left hemisphere. Results are discussed in relation to the contribution of right hemispheric information processing strategies in language recovery in aphasic patients.