%0 Journal Article
%T The Elusive Role of the Left Temporal Pole (BA38) in Language: A Preliminary Meta-Analytic Connectivity Study
%A Alfredo Ardila
%A Byron Bernal
%A Monica Rosselli
%J International Journal of Brain Science
%D 2014
%R 10.1155/2014/946039
%X It has been suggested that the left temporal pole (Brodmann area 38 (BA38)) participates in diverse language functions, including semantic processing, speech comprehension, and naming. Utilizing the activation likelihood estimation (ALE), a meta-analytic connectivity study was conducted to further our understanding on the role of BA38 in language. Departing from the BrainMap functional database, 11 papers corresponding to 12 paradigms including 201 participants were selected. Initially, was employed as the significance level, resulting in the presence of four different activation clusters. However, when the significance level was lowered to , sixteen activation clusters appeared, including classical language areas such as Broca¡¯s and Wernicke¡¯s areas. It was concluded that (1) this meta-analytic connectivity study suggests the presence of two major connection circuits involving BA38; one is related to language, while the other may be involved in visuospatial and integrative audiovisual functions. Furthermore, (2) BA38 also contributes to various brain networks supporting linguistic processes related not only to language comprehension but also to language production. 1. Introduction The temporal lobe is a particularly complex brain area involved in a diversity of functions, some of which include auditory, olfactory, memory, vestibular, visual, and linguistic processing [1, 2]. With regard to other primates, the temporal lobe is the largest in humans representing about 17% of the cerebral cortex [3]. The temporal pole (Brodmann area 38; BA38) represents no more than 10% of total temporal lobe volume and about 1.7% of the cerebral cortex. Due to its sizeable nature, several subareas have been distinguished in the temporal pole. Pascual et al. [4] proposed separation possibilities between different cytoarchitectonic subfields: (1) dorsal, with predominant connectivity to auditory/somatosensory and language networks; (2) ventromedial, predominantly connected to visual networks; (3) medial, connected to paralimbic structures; and (4) anterolateral, connected to the default-semantic network. Consequently, significant language roles of BA38 are assumed. The specific linguistic role of the left temporal pole remains elusive. Regardless of its evident participation in the brain language system, the left BA38 is not usually included in Wernicke¡¯s area. Nevertheless, various linguistic functions have been related to this brain area. Contemporary neuroimaging studies suggest that the left BA38 is involved in the following language-related functions: semantic
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijbs/2014/946039/