ABSTRACT
Specific language impairment (SLI) is a complex syndrome whose etiology remains elusive. Although several hypotheses exist to account for its development (see van Balkom & Verhoeven, chap. 12, this volume), there is some consensus that SLI is associated with subtle structural and functional cortical deviations that may be developmental in origin. Advances in modern brain research have increased interest in the search for potential neural substrates of this disorder, but as yet the number of neuroimaging studies with children with SLI is surprisingly small. In this chapter, we review neurobiological correlates of SLI at three different levels: neuroanatomical, hemodynamic, and electrocortical.
