Norman geschwind lecture: Geschwind’s lesson |
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| Authors: | Drake D Duane MD |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute for Developmental Behavioral Neurology, USA;(2) Arizona State University, Scottsdale/Tempe, Arizona |
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| Abstract: | Norman Geschwind had a profound effect on behavioral neurology, not only on the basis of his research and theories expressed
during his lifetime, but also through the impact that he had on colleagues privileged to train under him or have their work
personally influenced by him. My work falls into the latter category. Novel associations between brain function/structure
and behavior characterized his professional contributions, and offer a model for those who follow in his footsteps. He correctly
predicted that like aphasic disorders, developmental dyslexia might be associated with deficits in color naming expressed
currently as deficits in Rapid Automatized Naming. He stimulated anatomic research regarding patterns of asymmetry and microscopic
architecture leading to the establishment of the Orton Dyslexia Neuropathology Laboratory at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston.
He predicted an association between autoimmune disorders and reading disorders, an association that proved to be of genetic
origin. He further predicted that reading disorders, like language disorders, would be cross-cultural and, similarly, their
mechanism of production would be cross-cultural, although affected perhaps by the structure of the language to be learned.
His suspicion that the clinical impression of male gender preponderance in dyslexia was accurate and carried biologic significance
has recently been reconfirmed by colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Finally, with respect to dyslexia,
one should not be surprised that since affect is influenced by brain architecture, developmental disorders characterized by
altered brain architecture might be associated with affective or other psychiatric phenomena. My own work suggests that the
altered neuroanatomy in dyslexia may be accompanied by altered clinical neurophysiology, offering the possibility that in
some developmental disorders, behaviors, including academic aptitude and cognitive function, might benefit from medications
designed originally to lower the risk of clinical seizures. Perhaps Geschwind’s greatest lesson is to not assume that all
we have been taught as dogma is truth. Rather, we must have a willingness to make clear perceptions and draw conclusions that
come closer to the reality of the causal relationship between brain and behavior. |
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