La comprensión lingüística se apoya en las imágenes mentales

Abstract

Introduction:  The  relationship  between  verbal  and  imagistic

processes   has   been   relatively   few   studied   from   a

neuropsychological   point   of   view,   and   very   few   surveys   of

this   kind   have   been   carried   out,   until   now,   at   patients

affected   by   neurological   lesions.   Nevertheless,   some

evidence   regarding   the   preferential   participation   of   the

posterior   cerebral   cortex   at   these   processes,   with   a   bilateral

representation.   Objective:   To   show   the   possibility   of

relating   visual   imagistic   processes   with   the   linguistic   ones,

and  with  their  cerebral  localization.  Materials  and  Methods:

These   functions   have   been   explored   by   means   of   a   specific

battery   of   neuropsychological   tests,   administered   to   57

brain-­‐‑damaged   patients,   and   to   55   healthy   control   subjects.

Results:  Significant  differences  have  been  found  at  variables

derived   from   these   tasks   among   frontal-­‐‑lobe   patients   and

post-­‐‑rolandic   ones,   concerning   comprehension   and

verification   time   of   linguistic   sentences   at   high   and   low-­‐‑

imagery   content.   Conclusions:   Results   show   that   these

processes   are   preferentially   related   with   posterior   cerebral

cortex   (parietal,   occipital   and   temporal),   been   bilaterally

represented,  too.