Loss of speech understanding following injury of the inferior colliculi
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Picture from: Johkura K et al. J Neurol Sci 1998;161:91
Since 1991, with advent of MRI
scanning, 11 cases of deafness and/or
auditory agnosia have been reported,
with bilateral damage of the inferior
colliculi [62-71].
Loss of speech understanding was the
primary problem in 9 of these cases.
In the picture to the right, MRI revealed
Injury incurred in a skiing accident of
the inferior colliculi bilaterally (punctate
hematoma), shown in contrast to normal
appearance of this area of the midbrain.
The skiier suffered sudden “word
deafness” or “verbal auditory agnosia”
Impact from the free edge of the
cerebellar tentorium was thought to
have caused this injury.
Damage of the inferior colliculi by
asphyxia at birth should surely be
even more debilitatiing!
