damage to this part of the brain can result in reduced ability to comprehend and/or produce humor
Right hemisphere brain damage For the majority of the nineteenth century, the left brain hemisphere was the key focus of clinical research on language disorders (Brookshire, 2007).[2] In the twentieth century, focus gradually shifted to include right hemisphere damage (Brookshire, 2007).[2] It is now well established that language and cognition can be seriously impaired by unilateral right hemisphere brain damage.[40] Specific cognitive tests can help diagnose the existence of right hemisphere brain damage and differentiate symptoms from those of left hemisphere damage.[41] Unlike the aphasias, caused by left hemisphere damage and generally resulting in focused language deficits, right hemisphere brain damage can result in a variety of diffuse deficits which complicate formal testing of this disorder (Brookshire, 2007).[2] These formal tests assess areas such as understanding humor, metaphors, sarcasm, facial expression, and prosody.[23] However, not all individuals with right hemisphere brain damage have problems in language or communication and some may have no discernible symptoms.[40] Indeed, about half of patients with right hemisphere damage have intact communication abilities (Brookshire, 2007).[2][42]