Reversible deficit affecting the perception of tone of a human voice after tumour resection from the right auditory cortex.

Abstract

We report on a young woman operated for a ganglioglioma involving the right auditory cortex (AC), presenting with auditory seizures. Despite a normal pre-operative examination, a specific post-operative disorder affecting the perception of a human voice occurred. The patient was unable to recognise the tone of familiar voices while she recognised the expressed content. A temporal lobectomy for recurrence was performed two years later. The patient recovered from the voice perception deficit. This report shows that (1) a discrete site within the AC is specifically involved in the perception of tone of the human voice (2) functional compensation is possible.