Неврология, нейропсихиатрия, психосоматика (Feb 2020)
A.R. Luria's contribution to studies of the brain organization of language
Abstract
A.R. Luria is one of the most prestigious scientists in neuroscience, neuropsychology in particular. His contribution to aphasiology and neurolinguistics is well known. However, today some researchers believe that A.R. Luria's main ideas have lost their relevance and have little influence on contemporary discussions. The paper presents the views of A.R. Luria on the brain organization of speech and aphasia. Although he developed his concept of the relationship between cognitive processes and brain work several decades ago, scientific and technological achievements in our days largely confirm many of his ideas and hypotheses. A.R. Luria's basic views of the brain and language are considered in this article in the light of modern neuroscience. Two main monographs and some works of A.R. Luria, which are dedicated to the brain organization of speech and to the classification of aphasia, are analyzed. In particular, comparisons are made between his initial assumptions about aphasia and their theoretical rationale in the book «Traumatic Aphasia» (1947) and his more complex interpretation of the cerebral organization of speech, which is presented in his work «Basic Problems of Neurolinguistics» (1975). The paper discusses differences between these two books and also linguistic issues, which received much attention in his later publication. It considers the concepts of functional systems, systemic and dynamic organization of speech, proposed by A.R. Luria. It is shown that his interpretation of the cerebral organization of speech as a specific contribution of various brain regions to the speech system continues to be widely used, and his significant contribution to neurolinguistics is widely recognized.Many ideas of A.R. Luria have been integrated into contemporary aphasiology, while some questions of his proposed classification of aphasia remain debatable.
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