Conclusion

In summary, our data integrate and extend the two prevailing schools of thought on the FAT. We found that FAT disruption is not limited to transient speech initiation deficits but can cause clinically relevant, transient aphasia. The predominantly transient nature of these deficits is consistent with functional recovery and the emerging view that the FAT contributes to domain-general executive control processes supporting language rather than serving an exclusively language-specific function. The novel observation that concurrent FAT and AF involvement confers especially poor language outcomes further highlights the importance of a network-based view of language pathways in neurosurgical planning and patient counselling.