Anatomic dissociation of auditory and visual naming in the lateral temporal cortex

Visual object naming traditionally has been used to identify cortical areas essential for naming (i.e., word retrieval), and investigators have found critical naming sites in the middle and posterior temporal region in most patients. Based on clinical observation, empirical findings, and the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy, the authors hypothesized that naming sites identified from auditory cues might also be relevant, and that within the temporal region, these sites would be anatomically distinct and located anterior to naming sites based on visual cues.