Abstract

This study aimed at implementing a stimu-lation protocol using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), in a Hospital in Valparaiso (V Re-gion), Chile, to detect cortical areas activated in oral language comprehension. Seven healthy volunteers participated in this study. Average t-score and signal variation were 6.3±0.3 and 0.5±0.1%, respectively. In spite of these low values, activations were obtai-ned in Wernicke area, middle temporal gyrus, and Heschl's gyrus. The extension of activated areas was small, 5.06±2.99 cm3, probably due to amplifier low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), in addition to the cognitive complexity of the task, and to the ambient acoustic noise. Successful implementation of fMRI protocols of language comprehension is possible in a clinical context in Chile without any additional resources.