Objective: We used fMRI to identify brain regions underlying auditory comprehension in healthy young children to provide normative data for interpreting epilepsy patients studies. Methods: We studied twenty-one right handed children (10 boys, 11 girls), mean age 7.5 years (range, 5.6 to 11.6; 15ี
7 years) at 1.5-T using BOLD EPI while listening to stories (reverse speech control). Group data were analyzed with SPM99. Individual subject data were analyzed using an ROI approach based on t-maps (tฯญ4). An asymmetry index (AI)ฯญ[(L-R)/(LฯฉR)] was calculated for each region. Results: Group analysis principally showed activation in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) (Brodmann area (BA) 21) and left superior temporal gyrus (STG)(BA22) along the superior temporal sulcus (STS) extending back to the angular gyrus (BA 39). SPM random effect analysis (pฯฝ0.01 corrected) showed strong activation (z.5.94) in left STG (BA22), left MTG (BA 21). Left angular gyrus (BA 39), and small clusters (z.5.15) in right MTG (BA21) and right angular gyrus (BA 39). Conjunction analysis (pฯฝ0.01 corrected) showed strong activation (zฯพ8.0) in left STG (BA 22), left MTG (BA 21), left angular gyrus (BA 39), and small clusters (zฯพ5.64) in right MTG (BA 21), right angular gyrus (BA 39), and right precuneus (BA 31). Activation was strongly lateralized in temporal regions (AIฯญ0.57ฯฎ0.39). We found little frontal activation. 16 children were left hemisphere dominant (AIี0.20), 4 had little activation, and 1 had bilateral activation (-0.20ี
AIี
0.20). There was no correlation between age and AI for regions (R2ฯฝ0.18). Conclusion: Networks for auditory language processing are localized and strongly lateralized by age five. Auditory paradigms may be useful to map language areas in your patients.