Regional and hemispheric determinants of language laterality: Implications for preoperative fMRI.

Language is typically a function of the left hemisphere but the right hemisphere is also essential in some healthy individuals and patients. This inter-subject variability necessitates the localization of language function, at the individual level, prior to neurosurgical intervention. Such assessments are typically made by comparing left and right hemisphere language function to determine "language lateralization" using clinical tests or fMRI. Here, we show that language function needs to be assessed at the region and hemisphere specific level, because laterality measures can be misleading. Using fMRI data from 82 healthy participants, we investigated the degree to which activation for a semantic word matching task was lateralized in 50 different brain regions and across the entire cortex. This revealed two novel findings. First, the degree to which language is lateralized across brain regions and between subjects was primarily driven by differences in right hemisphere activation rather than differences in left hemisphere activation. Second, we found that healthy subjects who have relatively high left lateralization in the angular gyrus also have relatively low left lateralization in the ventral precentral gyrus. These findings illustrate spatial heterogeneity in language lateralization that is lost when global laterality measures are considered. It is likely that the complex spatial variability we observed in healthy controls is more exaggerated in patients with brain damage. We therefore highlight the importance of investigating within hemisphere regional variations in fMRI activation, prior to neuro-surgical intervention, to determine how each hemisphere and each region contributes to language processing. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

L'examen neuropsychologique en pratique quotidienne [Neuropsychological test in daily practice]

Neuropsychology is a scientific discipline, born in the XIX century, and bridges the fields of neurology and psychology. Neuropsychologists apply scientific knowledge about the relationship between brain function and mental performances. The major clinical role of a neuropsychological evaluation is to help to establish medical and functional diagnosis in patients (adults or infants) with different neurological pathologies such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia, epilepsy.... Such analysis necessitates accurate observation of behaviour and administration of tests of mental abilities (e.g. language, memory...). Test results can also help to clarify the nature of cognitive difficulties and to support the formulation of plans for neuropsychological therapy and functional adjustment in every day life.

Les poètes dans les inscriptions grecques de Rome : esquisse d'une approche socioculturelle

Cette étude basée sur le dépouillement des IGUR propose une approche socioculturelle des poètes grecs ou hellénophones qui ont séjourné à Rome à l'époque impériale, du Ier siècle après J.-C. à la fin du IVe siècle. Le nombre des inscriptions mentionnant des noms de poètes est relativement élevé (15). La première partie examine l'origine de ces artistes, le choix et le statut de la langue employée dans les inscriptions, les problèmes d'identité qui sont posés. La seconde partie étudie la considération et les possibilités de carrière que les poètes de langue grecque ont pu trouver à Rome ; elle distingue différentes catégories professionnelles et analyse les principales fonctions de ces poètes ainsi que leurs rapports avec le pouvoir impérial. Based on peruse of IGUR, this study offers a socio-cultural approach of Greek or Greek-speaking poets that stayed in Rome during Imperial times, from the first century AD to the end of the fourth century. Inscriptions relating poets names are relatively numerous (15). In the first part, we will discuss the artists' origin, the choice and status of the language used in the inscriptions, the problems of identities they raised. In the second part, we will discuss what kind of esteem and career opportunities Greek speaking poets could meet in Rome ; we would distinguish the different professional categories of those poets and analyse their main functions as well as their relationships with Imperial power.

Profile of European radiotherapy departments contributing to the EORTC Radiation Oncology Group (ROG) in the 21st century.

PURPOSE: Since 1982, the Radiation Oncology Group of the EORTC (EORTC ROG) has pursued an extensive Quality Assurance (QA) program involving all centres actively participating in its clinical research. The first step is the evaluation of the structure and of the human, technical and organisational resources of the centres, to assess their ability to comply with the current requirements for high-tech radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A facility questionnaire (FQ) was developed in 1989 and adapted over the years to match the evolution of RT techniques. We report on the contents of the current FQ that was completed online by 98 active EORTC ROG member institutions from 19 countries, between December 2005 and October 2007. RESULTS: Similar to the data collected previously, large variations in equipment, staffing and workload between centres remain. Currently only 15 centres still use a Cobalt unit. All centres perform 3D Conformal RT, 79% of them can perform IMRT and 54% are able to deliver stereotactic RT. An external reference dosimetry audit (ERDA) was performed in 88% of the centres for photons and in 73% for electrons, but it was recent (<2 years) in only 74% and 60%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of the FQ helps maintain the minimum quality requirements within the EORTC ROG network: recommendations are made on the basis of the analysis of its results. The present analysis shows that modern RT techniques are widely implemented in the clinic but also that ERDA should be performed more frequently. Repeated assessment using the FQ is warranted to document the future evolution of the EORTC ROG institutions.

Crises as a disease of the body politick: a metaphor in the history of nineteenth century economics

This paper examines the use of the medical metaphor in the early theories of crises. It first considers the borrowing of medical terminology and generic references to disease which, notwithstanding their relatively trivial character, illustrate how crises were originally conceived as disturbances (often of a political nature) to a naturally healthy system. Then it shows how a more specific metaphor, the fever of speculation, shifted the emphasis by treating prosperity as the diseased phase, to which crises are a remedy. The metaphor of the epidemic spreading of the disease introduced the theme of the cumulative character of both upswing and downswing, while the similitude with intermittent fevers accounted for the recurring nature of crises. Finally, the paper examines how the medical reflections on the causality of diseases contributed to the epistemology of crises theory, and reflects on the metaphisical shift accompanying the transition from the theories of crises to the theories of cycles.