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Neuropediatrics 2010; 41(5): 235-239
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1267982
Short Communication

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

fMRI Activation in Language Areas Correlates with Verb Generation Performance in Children

J. Vannest1 , 2 , J. Rasmussen2 , K. P. Eaton2 , K. Patel2 , V. Schmithorst2 , P. Karunanayaka2 , E. Plante3 , A. Byars1 , S. Holland2
  • 1Department of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
  • 2Pediatric Neuroimaging Research Consortium, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
  • 3Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Further Information

Publication History

received 20.04.2010

accepted 14.10.2010

Publication Date:
05 January 2011 (online)

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Abstract

Functional MRI mapping of language areas in children frequently employs a covert verb generation task. Because responses are not monitored, the relationship between fMRI activation and task performance is unknown. We compared fMRI activation during covert and overt verb generation to performance during the overt task. 15 children, ages 11–13 years, listened to concrete nouns and responded with related verbs covertly and overtly. A clustered fMRI acquisition allowed for recording of overt responses without motion artifacts. Region of interest analysis was also performed in areas that exhibited correlation between activation and performance during overt verb generation in left inferior frontal and left superior temporal gyri (along with their right hemisphere homologues). Regression analysis determined that during both covert and overt generation, left hemisphere regions showed positive correlations with average counts of verbs generated during the overt task. These results suggest that increased verb generation performance leads to increased activation. In addition, overt performance may be used as an estimator of covert performance.

Key words

functional MRI - language lateralization - language skill

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Correspondence

Jennifer Vannest

Department of Neurology

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Medical Center

3333 Burnet Ave ML 2015

Cincinnati

Ohio 45229

USA

Email: Jennifer.Vannest@cchmc.org

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