A distributed network supports spatiotemporal cerebral dynamics of visual naming.

• During visual naming, high-gamma modulation occurs in a posteroanterior sequential pattern with overlapping temporal profiles. • Cortical activations during visual naming represent cognitive sub-components with different relative contributions from the left and right cerebral hemispheres. • Post-surgical neuropsychological deficits correlated with the location of resected parcels within the visual naming network. Cerebral spatiotemporal dynamics of visual naming were investigated in epilepsy patients undergoing stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) monitoring. Brain networks were defined by Parcel-Activation-Resection-Symptom matching (PARS) approach by matching high-gamma (50–150 Hz) modulations (HGM) in neuroanatomic parcels during visual naming, with neuropsychological outcomes after resection/ablation of those parcels. Brain parcels with >50% electrode contacts simultaneously showing significant HGM were aligned, to delineate spatiotemporal course of naming-related HGM. In 41 epilepsy patients, neuroanatomic parcels showed sequential yet temporally overlapping HGM course during visual naming. From bilateral occipital lobes, HGM became increasingly left lateralized, coursing through limbic system. Bilateral superior temporal HGM was noted around response time, and right frontal HGM thereafter. Correlations between resected/ablated parcels, and post-surgical neuropsychological outcomes showed specific regional groupings. Convergence of data from spatiotemporal course of HGM during visual naming, and functional role of specific parcels inferred from neuropsychological deficits after resection/ablation of those parcels, support a model with six cognitive subcomponents of visual naming having overlapping temporal profiles. Cerebral substrates supporting visual naming are bilaterally distributed with relative hemispheric contribution dependent on cognitive demands at a specific time. PARS approach can be extended to study other cognitive and functional brain networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]