Palilalia in Nondominant Hempisphere Lesions

Abstract

Palilalia is a disorder of speech characterized by compulsive repetition of words or short phrases. Most cases in previous reports have bilateral cerebral lesions with different localization and etiology, although repetitive speech disorders have also been described in unilateral cerebral lesions. In this paper, we present two cases with acute onset palilalia due to infarctions in the nondominant hemisphere for language and we argue about the specific role of the nondominant hemisphere and the possible mechanisms about palilalia.