Anatomical Error of Pierre Marie's "Zone Lenticulaire"

Abstract

In a series of papers which appeared in 1906, Pierre Marie advanced a new concept of aphasiology against the classical view based on functional localization of cerebral cortex. He denied the role of Broca's area in language function and proposed as the center for articulation "zone lenticulaire," the lesion of which causes anarthria. But his illustration of "zone lenticulaire" which appears repeatedly in his papers dealing with aphasia, is anatomically incorrect since the most important portions of Broca's area, opercular part and triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus are missing in his illustration. The detailed anatomical investigation of Marie's illustrations reveals that he repeated the same errors in identifying rolandic and frontal opercula. But the similar mistake of identifying these opercula is also seen in Dejerine's "Anatomie des Centres Nerveux."