Brain and Language April 4, 2020

Mapping critical cortical language hubs

Sarubbo et al. published in NeuroImage a comprehensive set of results on the critical cortical hubs and white matter pathways by direct electrical stimulation. Here some results for the language network:

Semantic processing is related to these areas: posterior and middle thirds of the suprmarginal (STG) and medial (MTG) temporal gyrus, the dorsolateral (DLPFC), and the inferior (IFG) prefrontal. White matter pathways: inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF).

Language and motor planning is processed in these areas: Spplementary motorarea (SMA), PreSMA, dorso-lateral pre-motor cortex (DLPMC), PreCS, insula and basal ganglia (“negative motor network”). White matter pathways: short and mid-range cortico-cortical and cortico-striatal fibers running in the deep WM of the frontal lobe
Speech output is related to the ventral pre-motor cortex (VPMC). White matter pathways: underlying ventral portion of the pre-motor cortex
Speech articulation is processed in the ventral cortices of the cingulate gyrus, supramarginal gyrus (SMG), frontal-parietal network
White matter pathways: fibers connecting above areas the indirect anterior component of superior longitudinal fascicle (SLF)
Phonology has a large and typical distribution over the cortices and subcortical White matter pathways: connecting the ventral and mid-dorsal cortices of the posterior frontal lobe (particularly, IFG and MFG) with the posterior two-thirds of the temporal lobe (particularly, STG and MTG), terminations of the AF.
Anomic deficits are related to the junction middle and posterior thirds of STG and middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and the inferior parietal lobule. White matter pathways: indirect anterior and posterior SLF, arcuate fascicle (AF), inferior longitudinalfascicle (ILF), inferior fronto-occipital fascicle (IFOF), and uncinated fascicle (UF)