Language disorders in stroke syndromes of the dominant capsulostriatum—a clinical review

Abstract

Stroke syndromes of the dominant (left) capsulostriatal region have been reported recently to cause a variety of aphasia-like language disturbances. Etiologically, these syndromes include both ischaemic and haemorrhagic strokes. Anatomically, several lesion patterns have been described. Linguistically, both fluent and non-fluent aphasias, often associated with dysarthria, have been reported. The present paper reviews the neuroanatomical, clinical, and behavioural aspects of dominant (left) capsulostriatal stroke syndromes, with discussion of possible pathophysiological mechanisms.