Cortical activation studies in aphasia.

Positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging are the major techniques of functional brain imaging. Both techniques have been used successfully in studies of the speech-relevant cortex in normal individuals and in aphasic patients with brain lesions. The activation studies basically agree with the classic model of language organization in that the left inferior frontal and superior temporal cortex (Broca's and Wernicke's area, respectively) are the pivotal areas of speech processing.