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Science 8 May 1998:
Vol. 280. no. 5365, pp. 902 - 905
DOI: 10.1126/science.280.5365.902
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Reports

Modular Organization of Cognitive Systems Masked by Interhemispheric Integration

Kathleen Baynes, * James C. Eliassen, Helmi L. Lutsep, Michael S. Gazzaniga

After resection of the corpus callosum, V.J., a left-handed woman with left-hemisphere dominance for spoken language, demonstrated a dissociation between spoken and written language. In the key experiment, words flashed to V.J.'s dominant left hemisphere were easily spoken out loud, but could not be written. However, when the words were flashed to her right hemisphere, she could not speak them out loud, but could write them with her left hand. This marked dissociation supports the view that spoken and written language output can be controlled by independent hemispheres, even though before her hemispheric disconnection, they appeared as inseparable cognitive entities.

K. Baynes, Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, and VA Northern California Health Care System, Martinez, CA 94553, USA.
J. C. Eliassen, Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
H. L. Lutsep, Oregon Stroke Center, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201, USA.
M. S. Gazzaniga, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03654, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed at Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. E-mail: kbaynes{at}ucdavis.edu

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