Failure to Activate the Left Temporoparietal Cortex in Dyslexia

Authors:
  • PAPaul Andreason
    Paul Andreason
  • AZAlan J. Zametkin
    Alan J. Zametkin
  • TATracy Aquino
    Tracy Aquino
  • AKA. Catherine King
    A. Catherine King
  • SHSusan D. Hamburger
    Susan D. Hamburger
  • APAnita Pikus
    Anita Pikus
  • JRJudith L. Rapoport
    Judith L. Rapoport
  • RCRobert M. Cohen
    Robert M. Cohen
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Abstract
• To test the hypothesis of left temporoparietal dysfunction in dyslexia, suggested by neuropsychological and neuropathologic data, cerebral blood flow was measured with positron emission tomography in 14 right-handed men with severe developmental dyslexia (mean [SD] age, 27 [5] years; median reading level, fifth grade) and 14 matched controls at rest and during an auditory phonologic task (rhyme detection) and an auditory attention task involving the detection of target tones. As expected, normal readers activated left temporoparietal cortex during rhyme detection but not during the nonphonologic attentional task. Dyslexic men failed to activate those left temporoparietal regions activated in controls during rhyme detection but did not differ from controls in these regions during rest or attentional testing. Thus, the expected left temporoparietal dysfunction was demonstrated only when specific probes for these regions were employed.

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