Supra- and infrasylvian conduction aphasia.

Fifteen cases of conduction aphasia which were tested with the Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT), are presented. The CT lesion data were transformed to a standard 3D-reference brain referring to the ACPC line. According to the lesion profiles a group of 6 patients had pure suprasylvian lesions, a group of 4 patients had pure infrasylvian lesions, and a group of 5 patients had lesions in both supra- and infrasylvian regions. Suprasylvian conduction aphasics are superior to infrasylvian conduction aphasics in the token test and in repetition tasks. Infrasylvian conduction aphasics use more stereotypes in spontaneous speech than suprasylvian conduction aphasics. Conduction aphasics with both lesion sites perform less well in tests of naming, writing, and comprehension than the pure types. Thus conduction aphasia is a heterogeneous syndrome anatomically and linguistically.

Global aphasia-with and without hemiparesis. A linguistic and CT scan study.

The location and size of brain lesions were compared between two groups of patients showing persisting global aphasia according to the criteria of the Aachen Aphasia test (AAT). The first group comprised 8 patients suffering from severe hemiparesis for more than 18 months. The 10 patients of the second group showed either no hemiparesis at all, or motor disturbance at the onset of the disorder with complete remission within 1 year. The sizes of the brain lesions were determined by means of CT scans. The location of the lesions was defined by a statistical model of the brain with labelled anatomical structure, which allowed an interindividual comparison. In the CT scans, the infarcted areas of the brains of patients with hemiparesis always extended to the wall of the lateral ventricle, thus including the whole corona radiata with the pyramidal tract. The infarcted areas of the patients without hemiparesis and with transient hemiparesis spared parts of the deep white matter. The data obtained via CT scans are of prognostic value for patients with transient hemiparesis, since determination of the extent of the lesion by means of CT permits an initial estimate on the possible later degree and quality of the motor recovery.