A Woman Without Her Left Temporal Lobe Developed An Intricate Right-Brain Language Network That Did Not Impede Communication
According to Healthline, speech is usually controlled by the left side of the cerebrum. The cerebrum is broken down into four regions– known as the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes.
Moreover, the left temporal and frontal lobes have long been associated with the formation and understanding of speech.
But, a research study conducted by MIT, UCLA, and Carnegie Mellon University discovered that the absence of a left temporal lobe is not guaranteed to impede speech.
A fifty-year-old woman, referred to as “EG” in the study, reached out to MIT researchers in 2016. She regarded her brain as “interesting” since she did not have a left temporal lobe.
The woman was not involved in a known accident nor born with a known condition. She never suffered from any speech or behavioral impediments.
In fact, she actually went on to obtain advanced college degrees and speaks a second language fluently.
This alone is very shocking since the left frontal lobe primarily dictates language processing.
It was not until 1987 when EG obtained a brain scan that she learned she did not have a left temporal lobe.
EG was referred to Evelina Fedorenko, a cognitive neuroscientist at Harvard University, who studied her brain further.
sepy – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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The team of researchers was intrigued by EG’s uninhibited abilities and decided to use an fMRI machine to capture images of her brain during different activities.
EG practiced things like math and language processing so the researchers could understand her neuropathways.
In doing so, the team found that no language processing occurred in the left side of her brain. Instead, all of the processing happened on the right side.
The researchers believe the woman likely suffered from a stroke or related injury as a child, which caused her to lose her left temporal lobe. Cerebrospinal fluid had filled the region and forced her brain to compensate.
In turn, EG had developed a unique language network on her brain’s right side that allowed her communication to flourish.
Additionally, EG has a twin sister who does not have a right temporal lobe. She, too, displays no abnormal behavior or speech impediments.
So, the researchers believe that a genetic variable went hand in hand with the stroke and miraculous recovery of the twins.
To read the complete study, visit the link here.
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