Language, memory and the temporal lobes.

Abstract

In recent decades, extensive data have been generated about the normal and pathological functioning of the temporal lobes, and their relationship with speech and semantics. Advancement in this field has contributed to the development of new approaches not only for the assessment of cognitive deficits associated with lesions and degeneration of the temporal lobe, but also for the development of novel techniques that may prove useful in the rehabilitation of language skills. This issue of Behavioural Neurology is dedicated to original research in the field of aphasia and the temporal lobes which was presented during the World Federation of Neurology’s Research Group on Aphasia and Cognitive Disorders Meeting held duringmid-May 2010 in Istanbul,Turkey. The articles in this issue survey many of these aspects and, taken together, demonstrate the interdisciplinary approach from which the field will benefit the most. Sebastian Crutch and Elizabeth Warrington build on the phenomenon they refer to as “refractory semantic access dysphasia” by investigating the semantic organization associatedwith proper names in two global aphasic patients. They delve into the results of cognitive performance in these patients to contribute to the literature on taxonomy and theme-centered organization of proper names. In this same issue, Carlo Semenza critically reviews findings on naming with proper names (mostly person names) and discusses the relevance of the left temporal pole in this respect. Semenza’s review provides insight into the discussion of the brain substrates underlying proper name processing and offers also some speculations as to how the brain has evolved