A cognitive-motor network demonstrated by positron emission tomography.

The rate of local cerebral glucose metabolism was measured in subjects receiving a verbal (n = 4) and a spatial (n = 4) task. The verbal task produced greater metabolism in Wernicke's area relative to the right hemispheric homotopic region, whereas the spatial task produced greater metabolic activity in the right hemispheric homotopic region. Broca's area and its right hemisphere counterpart showed symmetrical activity during the verbal task, but there was a significant asymmetry to the right during the spatial task. Lateralized task effects were also obtained in the frontal eye fields, supporting a hypothesized neural network linking cognitive activity with motor orientation.