Brain Injury and Cognitive Function: Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging
The objective of this exploratory study is to elucidate the underlying cerebral mechanisms of cognitive deficits. To achieve this, the investigator will apply functional brain imaging techniques to patients suffering from cognitive deficits due to cerebral lesions. The investigator will employ a single-case approach, suitable for studying rare behavioral profiles such as acquired reading disorders (alexia) or visual perception impairments (agnosia). If necessary, the investigator will use multiple non-invasive imaging methods in the same patients, including: 1. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (structural and functional), renowned for its spatial resolution and the diverse information it provides, and 2. Electrophysiological methods (MEG and EEG), notable for their temporal resolution. The employed stimuli will consist of visual or auditory presentations of verbal material (words, sentences, numbers, etc.), potentially combined with the collection of simple vocal or motor responses (button presses). The results will be interpreted by integrating the neuropsychological analysis of the deficit and the lesion topography. Importantly, following the methodology of single-case neuropsychology, the stimulation protocols will be modulated and adapted to each individual case. Consequently, parallel data should be collected from healthy control subjects whenever necessary. For protocol development, the investigator will also collect purely behavioral data, without brain imaging, from groups of control subjects.
⁃ Common criteria for patients and healthy volunteers:
• Age: 18 years and older
• Affiliation with a social security system
• Signed informed consent
• No psychotropic medication intake in the week prior to the examination, and no alcohol consumption on the eve of the examination (subjects will be instructed to have a good night's sleep before the examination).
⁃ Specific criteria for patients:
⁃ \- Patients must present either cerebral lesions (vascular, malformative, tumoral) or traumatic injuries, or a history of neonatal or congenital conditions that may result in selective cognitive impairments, or congenital or acquired visual perception disorders.
⁃ NON INCLUSION CRITERIA
⁃ Common criteria for patients and volunteers:
• Pregnant, lactating, or postpartum women (except for purely behavioral tests).
• Individuals with visual or auditory deficits that would interfere with the tasks to be performed during brain imaging acquisition.
• Contraindications for MRI (except for purely behavioral tests):
• Cardiac or neural stimulation devices
• Ferromagnetic surgical clips
• Cochlear implants
• Intra-ocular metallic foreign bodies or objects in the nervous system
• Implants or metallic objects that may concentrate the radiofrequency field
• Lack of informed consent
• Claustrophobia