Auditory processing in stroke
This study in Neurology asks if a complete infarction of the auditory cortex affects the magnetoencephalographic correlates of auditory processing in the contralateral, unaffected hemisphere. We found no evidence for changes in contralateral auditory processing, suggesting that the auditory system does not reorganize after a large unilateral infarction.
Sörös P, Dziewas R, Manemann E, Teismann IK, Lütkenhöner B. No indication of brain reorganization after unilateral ischemic lesions of the auditory cortex. Neurology 2006;67:1059-1061 PubMed Reprint
Abstract
We used magnetoencephalography to study contralesional auditory reorganization in three men with chronic unilateral ischemic lesions of the auditory cortex. While no response was found over the lesioned hemisphere, processing in the unaffected hemisphere was indistinguishable vs. healthy controls. In contrast to sensorimotor and language systems, the auditory system appears to lack contralateral reorganization, presumably because patients are typically not aware of hearing deficits and thus do not perform training.
