Disconnection and cerebral metabolism. The case of conduction aphasia
D. Kempler, E. J. Metter, C. A. Jackson, W. R. Hanson, W. H. Riege, J. C. Mazziotta and M. E. Phelps
School of Gerontology, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Ten patients with conduction aphasia were studied with computed tomography
and 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography to examine glucose
metabolism. Computed tomographic results identified a postrolandic
structural locus for conduction aphasia. All patients demonstrated resting
glucose hypometabolism throughout the parietal and temporal regions, and
half of the patients also demonstrated reduced metabolic rates in the
posterior, inferior, frontal (Broca's) regions. These data suggest that
disconnection between posterior and anterior language areas may not be the
best anatomical explanation for conduction aphasia.
