brain areas impaired in oral and verbal apraxic patients.

background: as both oral and verbal apraxia are related  to vocal orofacial musculature, this study aimed at identifying brain regions impaired in cases with oral and verbal apraxia. methods:   in  this non-experimental  study,  46  left  brain damaged subjects (17 females)  aged  23–84  years,  were examined  by oral and  verbal apraxia tasks.  impaired  and spared broca’s area, insula, and middle frontal gyrus in the left hemisphere  were  checked  from magnetic  resonance imaging    and  computed   tomography  scans  utilizing talairach atlas. data were analyzed using chi-square test. results: insula was significantly impaired  in both  forms of oral   and verbal apraxia  and  different   severities   and prominent forms of both apraxias (p < 0.05). broca’s area was slightly less involved than insula in two forms of apraxia. conclusion: as the damage  of insula was more prominent in both  forms  of apraxias,  it seems  that  oral and  verbal apraxia    may    have commonalities  regardin  their underlying brain lesions.