1. REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW DURING SIGN LANGUAGE PERCEPTION DEAF & HEARING SUBJECTS WITH DEAF PARENTS COMPARED

2. Overview i. Goals and Study ii. The Subjects Researched on iii. The Experimental Method iv. Results of the Experiment

3. Goals and Study find out similarities between signed and spoken language both seem to activate much the same regions in the brain more occipital activation in sign language sign language seems to involve the right hemisphere (true?) study: compare sign language lateralization and localization between hearing and deaf children of deaf parents

4. The Subjects Researched on 6 deaf subjects; 9 hearing subject all had deaf parents no psychiatric history Swedish sign language as mother tongue all were right-handed

5. The Experimental Method high resolution rCBF Swedish novel was translated into Swedish sign language presented by a deaf man signing instruction: focus on story retell story Activation was compared during sign language and rest

6. Results of the Experiment both groups show a high bifrontal activation during rest deaf group exhibited more activation in the parieto-occipital lobe (highly significant) hearing signers used more temporal areas it seems that deafness and not the early learning of sign language that leads to enhanced right hemisphere activation

7. Results of the Experiment o enhanced right hemisphere parieto- occipital activation in this group is an effect of a lack of auditory stimulation and of early learning of a visual-spatial language