Neuropsychology of language and spatial attention

Abstract

Clinical neuropsychology has analyzed various symptoms and signs after brain lesions seeking to understand the brain mechanisms underlying a wide range of cognitive functions. This type of semiology mainly deals with subacute to chronic pathophysiology, while the findings produced by electrical stimulation during awake surgery reflect the (hyper) acute modulation of brain functions. In recent neuropsychology trends, classical semiology has been reconciled with newly emerging approaches utilizing advanced imaging technology (e.g. functional imaging and tractography) and the findings taken during awake surgery, resulting in a paradigm shift in neuropsychological theories from localizationist models to neural network models. For example, an acute cognitive dysfunction resulting from a localized lesion is not always long lasting, which reflects the underlying redundancy of the neural network that takes part in the corresponding function. For resection of gliomas, the extent should be determined to achieve a favorable quality of life about a month post-surgery but not to prevent acute deficits. It is very important to revisit the vast accumulation of neuropsychological knowledge and to know the size and location of a lesion in order to ascertain how best we may secure a favorable recovery. The present review aims to provide such information focusing on the neural networks of language and spatial attention.