Language Function Reorganization in Patients With Arteriovenous Malformations

Brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is generally considered as a congenital lesion. Its unique clinical manifestation is that when the unruptured AVM involves and destroys the language function area of the left hemisphere, the patient has almost no language disorder. This phenomenon is distinct from those of acquired diseases such as cerebral infarction and gliomas. There is a hypothesis that it might be associated with that the occurrence of AVM is earlier than period of language learning. Therefore, patients with AVMs involving language areas can be regarded as population whose language areas are congenital "knocked out" but the language functions remain normal, which provide a special model and new insights for language reorganization research. Previous studies have found that the right hemisphere plays an important role in the remodeling of language function in patients with AVMs, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to further elaborate the role of the right cerebral hemisphere in the reorganized language network and the interhemispheric interaction mechanisms in patients with AVMs involving the language areas, using multimodal magnetic resonanceimaging and from multiple dimensions such as functional remodeling, white matter pathway remodeling, structural remodeling, etc., so as to further understand the remodeling mechanism of the Chinese language network after damage of language areas, and also to provide a theoretical basis for the protection of language function in brain network surgery.

Inclusion Criteria: * AVM located within left-hemisphere language regions * right-handedness * native Mandarin Chinese speakers * age 18-60 years * high school education or above Exclusion Criteria: * comorbid neurological or psychiatric disorders * AVM-related intracranial hemorrhage within the past month * prior AVM treatment