[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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    PET (positron emission tomography) activation studies on reading in our laboratory were described in comparison with those in English-speaking countries. PET studies of English words showed that Wernicke's area and the temporo-parietal area which were activated in auditory presentation did not exhibit significant blood flow increases in visual presentation, and that Broca's area was not always left-side dominantly activated. Our studies using kanji and kana for reading aloud materials confirmed these results, i. e., Wernicke's area or the parietal lobe was not activated, and the left-side dominant activation of Broca's area was observed only in kanji, while in kana the blood flow increased bilaterally and to the same degree. Furthermore, it was revealed that kana, similar to in English word studies, activated widespread regions including the lateral occipital gyrus. A difference was that both kanji and kana increased the blood flow in the left posterior inferior temporal area, which was not activated in English word studies.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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    We classified the symptoms of repetitive speech, including palilalia, echolalia, recurring utterance, and “stehende Redensarten” from a symptomatological point of view. The broader concept of repetitive verbal behaviour was re-examined, with special reference to the phenomenon of monosyllabic iteration. A case of Alzheimer's disease presenting marked logoclonia (reiterative utterance of final parts of words) is described, and factors of aetiological significance are proposed for this disturbance, which is often found in patients with primary degenarative dementia. The roles that disturbed lexical and preserved phonemic functions can be shown to play in logoclonia are discussed.

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    The aim of this study was to discuss the nature of the relationship between language deficits and nonverbal symbolic deficits in aphasic patients. Tests of nonverbal symbolic ability included a classificatory test, pantomime tests (recognition and expression) and a drawing test. As indices of language deficits, severity of aphasia, auditory comprehension, verbal production, reading comprehension and writing were measured by scoring on SLTA. The classificatory test was administered to 15 aphasics. Scores were correlated to all language scales except verbal production. It was suggested that classificatory ability manifests some type of functional relationship to auditory and reading comprehension. The pantomime tests were administered to 17 aphsics. Scores were correlated to all language scales. It was suggested that pantomime ability bears some form of relationship to reading comprehension and writing. The drawing test was administered to 13 aphasics. Scores were correlated to the severity of aphasia and reading comprehension. A strong relationship was not suggested between drawing ability and language functions. These results are taken collectively as indicating that different degrees and different patterns of relationship may exist between language functions and each nonverbal symbolic function. A simple theory such as the central symbolic deficit hypothesis could not explain these varied relationships. Further analytic investigction is awaited.

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