Aphasia after left hemispheric intracerebral hemorrhage.

The function of subcortical nuclear structures in language is uncertain, and language disorders after injury to these structures are described incompletely. We report 15 patients with left putaminal or thalamic hemorrhage, describe the range of language and behavioral disorders produced, and review the potential mechanisms of these disorders. Clinicoanatomic correlations revealed no definite differences between aphasia after hemorrhage in putamen or in thalamus.