Abstract
There is controversy regarding the unique contributions of the right and left hemispheres for human cognition. The right hemisphere is thought to play an important role in “nonverbal” cognitive abilities, such as visuospatial processing.1 However, the necessity of the right hemisphere for other aspects of cognition has been challenged by the relative preservation of intellectual functioning following right hemispherectomy among children and, more rarely, adults with epilepsy due to congenital or early-onset right hemisphere pathology.2 3 The preservation of normal or near-normal cognition in these remarkable cases is often attributed to the capacity of the left hemisphere for early functional reorganization during development to compensate for cognitive functions that would have involved the right hemisphere in the absence of pathology. Cases of hemispherectomy in adults with normal development are exceptionally rare but could further inform our understanding of the necessity of the right hemisphere for various aspects of cognition.
- Received July 22, 2020.
- Accepted September 29, 2020.
- © 2020 American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
The Nerve!: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
If you are uploading a letter concerning an article:
You must have updated your disclosures within six months: http://submit.neurology.org
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.