Abstract
Therapeutic approaches for intracerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and tumors require knowledge about the exact spatial relationship of these processes to functional brain parenchyma. In an ongoing project, flMRI and verbal fluency tasks are used for the evaluation of speech-related areas in these diseases. A sample of patients with either AVMs or intracerebral tumors was included in the study. flMRI was performed on a Siemens Magnetom (Vision) at 1.5 T with Single-Shot-EPI. Data were analyzed with SPM96. Word generation tasks were contrasted with baseline conditions and cognitive subtraction designs were applied. Data analysis demonstrated a consistent activation pattern during the covert verbal fluency condition in left prefrontal cortical areas when using forward-counting as a baseline condition in right handed subjects. The spatial relationship between pathological processes and “eloquent” brain areas couid be established in all patients. The present findings are consistent with the previously reported stability of the method2. Verbal fluency paradigms are suitable for the presurgical and preinterventional evaluation of hemispheric dominance and cortical language areas with fMRI.
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