Neural bases of orthographic long-term memory and working memory in dysgraphia

Spelling a word involves the retrieval of information about the word’s letters and their order from long-term memory as well as the maintenance and processing of this information by working memory in preparation for serial production by the motor system. While it is known that brain lesions may selectively affect orthographic long-term memory and working memory processes, relatively little is known about the neuro-topographic distribution of the substrates that support these cognitive processes, or the lesions that give rise to the distinct forms of dysgraphia that affect these cognitive processes. To examine these issues, this study uses a voxel-based mapping approach to analyze the lesion distribution of 27 individuals with dysgraphia subsequent to stroke who were identified, on the basis of behavioral profiles alone, as suffering from deficits only affecting either orthographic long-term or working memory, as well as 6 other individuals with deficits affecting both sets of processes. The findings provide, for the first time, clear evidence of substrates that selectively support orthographic long-term and working memory processes, with orthographic long-term memory deficits centered in either the left posterior inferior frontal region or left ventral temporal cortex, and orthographic working memory deficits primarily arising from lesions of the left parietal cortex centered on the intraparietal sulcus. These findings also contribute to our understanding of the relationship between the neural instantiation of written language processes and language, working memory and other cognitive skills.