In the frontal lobe close to the lateral cerebral sulcus, you will find the Broca’s speech area. This area of the brain is localized in the left hemisphere for about 97% of the population. In the left frontal lobe is where planning and production of speech occur for most people (Tortora). We know that speech is localized in the left hemisphere of the brain for most individuals, but what happens when someone is affected by a stroke? How does the brain process speech if the Broca’s speech area was affected?
Kiel University scientists simulated a dysfunction in the brain, which was comparable to a stroke. They used a magnetic coil that transmitted a current pulse that interrupted the functioning area of the brain that is responsible for producing speech, the Broca’s area. The scientists insure that this process is harmless for volunteers and only influence speech, or the lack of speech for about 30 to 45 minutes (Christian).
Once this test was carried out, the scientists compared it to previous research, which indicated that speech was localized in the left hemisphere. They used several tests to show brain activity. One of which was a fMRI- functional magnetic resonance imaging test and a TMS- transcranial magnetic stimulation test. During the 30 to 45 minutes that speech was influenced, they asked volunteers to listen to pseudo words and repeat them. During this test they observed suppressed activity in the left hemisphere (due to the magnetic coil) and it took volunteers longer to repeat the words. They also saw a surprising display of activities on the right hemisphere of the brain (Christian).
This research is a sign of hope for the scientific and medical community. It shows us that although strokes could suppress speech activity in the left hemisphere, the right hemisphere could facilitate speech production for the injured or weakened left hemisphere (Christian). This gives the medical community hope for helping stroke patients recover their speech. This research gives us insight on what could possibly be done to prevent total speech loss and to help recover it. It gives hopes to medical professionals and families just alike, who equally want to help the patient recover to the best of their functional abilities.
Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel. “Speech recovery after stroke.” ScienceDaily, 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson. 2012. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed., John Wiley and Sons