Foundas A L, Eure K F, Luevano L F, Weinberger D R
Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine.
Brain Lang. 1998 Oct 1;64(3):282-96. doi: 10.1006/brln.1998.1974.
Broca's area, which includes the pars triangularis (PTR) and pars opercularis (POP), is a neuroanatomic region important in speech-language production. Previous data demonstrated that PTR asymmetries are highly correlated with language dominance determined by selective hemispheric anesthesia or Wada testing, suggesting that asymmetries of the PTR may, in part, predict language dominance. The POP, however, has not been measured on volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and therefore, it is unclear whether morphological asymmetries of the POP exist, and whether these asymmetries differ in right- and left-handers. The purpose of this study was to determine if measurable asymmetries of the POP exist on MRI, and whether the direction of the asymmetries differ in right- and left-handers. The PTR and POP were measured on volumetric MRI scans of 16 right-handers and 16 left-handers matched for age and gender. There was a significant leftward asymmetry of the PTR in right- and left-handers, although the asymmetry was reduced in the left-handers. In contrast, there was a leftward asymmetry of the POP in right-handers, and a rightward asymmetry in the left-handers. Handedness, derived from a handedness inventory, was positively correlated with POP asymmetry.
布洛卡区，包括三角部（PTR）和岛盖部（POP），是言语产生中一个重要的神经解剖区域。先前的数据表明，PTR的不对称性与通过选择性半球麻醉或Wada测试确定的语言优势高度相关，这表明PTR的不对称性可能在一定程度上预测语言优势。然而，尚未在容积磁共振成像（MRI）上测量POP，因此，尚不清楚POP是否存在形态学不对称性，以及这些不对称性在右利手和左利手中是否不同。本研究的目的是确定MRI上是否存在可测量的POP不对称性，以及右利手和左利手中不对称性的方向是否不同。在16名年龄和性别匹配的右利手和16名左利手的容积MRI扫描上测量了PTR和POP。右利手和左利手中PTR均存在显著的向左不对称，尽管左利手中的不对称性有所降低。相比之下，右利手中POP存在向左不对称，而左利手中存在向右不对称。根据利手问卷得出的利手与POP不对称性呈正相关。
