| Abstract: | In 26 patients suffering from the pure types of aphasias (11 total, 6 motoric, 5 sensory, and 5 amnesic), hemispheric and regional cerebral blood flow were measured and the flow values were correlated with psychological test scores including Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Token Test, Benton Test, and word fluency tests. With respect to the flow values, an overall difference between the groups of aphasics was proved by analysis of variance [regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF): F(3,22) = 13.77, p < .001]. The location of mainly impaired brain perfusion was not always confined to the centers within the speech area expected in view of the clinical disturbance, but most patients had neurologic deficits in addition to their aphasia. High correlations were found between the rCBF values within ischemic foci and WAIS subtests, as well as Token Test and word fluency tests. The correlation coefficients calculated between hemispheric flow and the psychological data indicated, in many instances, the same dependency, but did not attain the high statistical significance obtained with the regional values. The results show dependencies of several aspects of mental function upon cerebral perfusion and provide information for possible mechanisms responsible for the disturbance of nonverbal intelligence in aphasics. |
