Comparative localization of auditory comprehension by using functional magnetic resonance imaging and cortical stimulation

Object. The authors previously described a functional magnetic resonance (fMR) imaging task for the localization of auditory comprehension in which focal activation of posterior temporal and inferior frontal regions of the left hemisphere was reliably demonstrated. Because this study was conducted in neurologically normal volunteers, it was not possible to determine whether the activated regions were critical to the performance of language tasks; that is, whether the fMR imaging activations provided a valid measure of language processing. A direct comparison of fMR imaging language activation with cortical stimulation must be completed before it can be used with confidence in presurgical planning, and this comparison is performed in the present study. Methods. The authors report on a series of 33 consecutive patients who underwent dominant hemisphere resection and in whom fMR imaging mapping of auditory comprehension was performed at the Yale neurosurgical program. In 23 of the 33 patients fMR imaging act...