Quantitative EEG Diagnostic Confirmation of Expressive Aprosodia

Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) was used to confirm predictions emanating from the neuropsychological examination of an adolescent with expressive aprosodia. Previous research has indicated that expressive deficits in prosody can be caused by cerebral damage to the right hemisphere region homologous to Broca's area. The neuropsychological evaluation of this individual indicates probable right anterior cerebral dysfunction. Taken together, a priori hypotheses included a relative deficit in cerebral arousal of right-relative to left-frontotemporal regions. EEG results confirm the hypothesis and provide case study evidence for both: (a) right anterior mediation of prosodic expression as well as (b) support for the inclusion of QEEG as part of a clinical neuropsychological evaluation.

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