Neuropsychological correlates of idiom understanding: How many hemispheres are involved?

The chapter examines the neuropsychological and brain-imaging literature on whether the comprehension of idiomatic expressions recruits both hemispheres or only the right hemisphere, as postulated by early models. Overall, the studies reviewed in the chapter show that patients not only rely on the right hemisphere to comprehend idioms. In addition, studies showed a bilateral involvement of regions of both hemispheres together with a specific contribution of the left hemishere to idiom comprehension.