Hemispheric Cross Talk: Brains show two sides of language function
By Bruce Bower
Damage to the brain’s left side often undermines language abilities. Occasionally, so does right-brain damage. Still, a lucky few individuals can suffer injury to either side and retain their verbal skills.
Thanks to a device that temporarily blocks activity in specific brain areas, scientists have uncovered a likely explanation for this linguistic reversal of fortune. Some individuals, conclude neurologist Stefan Knecht of the University of Münster in Germany and his colleagues, have strong language capabilities in both halves of their brains. These individuals have enough neural leverage to withstand a block on one side or the other, the researchers report.