Neural systems underlying the influence of sound shape properties of the lexicon on spoken word production: do fMRI findings predict effects of lesions in aphasia?

Previous behavioral work has shown that the phonetic realization of words in spoken word production is influenced by sound shape properties of the lexicon. A recent fMRI study (Peramunage, Blumstein, Myers, Goldrick, & Baese-Berk, 2011) showed that this influence of lexical structure on phonetic implementation recruited a network of areas that included the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) extending into the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The current study examined whether lesions in these areas result in a concomitant functional deficit.