Disrupting the right pars opercularis with electrical stimulation frees the song: case report

作者：Herbet Guillaume; Lafargue Gilles; Almairac Fabien; Moritz Gasser Sylvie; Bonnetblanc Francois; Duffau Hugues^*

来源：Journal of Neurosurgery, 2015, 123(6): 1401-1404.

DOI：10.3171/2014.12.JNS141829

• right pars opercularis
• singing neural system
• speech inhibition
• inhibitory control
• electrical stimulation
• awake surgery
• functional neurosurgery

The authors report the first case of a strikingly unusual speech impairment evoked by intraoperative electrostimulation in a 36-year-old right-handed patient, a well-trained singer, who underwent awake surgery for a right fronto-temporoinsular low-grade glioma. Functionally disrupting the pars opercularis of the right inferior frontal gyrus led the patient to automatically switch from a speaking to a singing mode of language production. Given the central role of the right pars opercularis in the inhibitory control network, the authors propose that this finding may be interpreted as possible evidence for a competitive and independent neurocognitive subnetwork devoted to the melodically intoned articulation of words (normal language-based vs singing-based) in subjects with high expertise. From a more clinical perspective, such data may have implications for awake neurosurgery, especially to preserve the quality of life for singers.

• 出版日期2015-12
• 单位INRIA