Authors

Paradiso S. Crespo Facorro B. Andreasen NC. O'Leary DS. Watkins LG.

Boles Ponto L. Hichwa RD.

 

Institution

Department of Psychiatry Administration, University of Iowa College of

Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA.

 

Title

Brain activity assessed with PET during recall of word lists and narratives.

 

Source

Neuroreport. 8(14):3091-6, 1997 Sep 29.

 

Abstract

This study investigated the functional neuroanatomy involved in retrieval of

structured versus unstructured verbal information. We compared cerebral blood

flow using PET with the [15O]water method while subjects engaged in recall of

novel and practised narratives and lists of unrelated words. Left orbital

frontal cortex was activated during recall of both novel and practised

unrelated words. Right parietal cortex was relatively more active during

recall of the novel word list. Right orbital frontal cortex and anterior

cingulate were relatively more active during recall of the practised but not

the novel word list. These results are consistent with the role of left

orbital frontal cortex in retrieval of unstructured verbal information. Right

orbital frontal activity suggests that cognitive strategies may be involved

in retrieval of well-practised words.