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Ettore "Hector" Lettich

June 1929 - October 2009

Photo of HectorEttore “Hector” Lettich, a devoted member of the Department of Neurological Surgery for over 40 years, has passed away.

We were notified of his passing on October 19. Hector was born in Egypt, raised in Trieste, and began his career as an EEG technologist in England. For the rest of his career, EEG, evoked potentials and electrocorticography were his consuming interests. He was brought to the University of Washington in 1966 by Dr Gianni Chatrian (seen pictured below with Hector and EEG students) as his Chief Technologist in the new EEG Division of our Department. In addition to the clinical activities and the training of EEG technologists, they published a number of research studies, of which Hector seemed to be especially proud of the studies of pattern sensitive epilepsy, and evoked responses to pure pain pathway stimuli provided by tooth pulp stimulation.

In the early 1980s, Hector joined my laboratory as a research scientist, investigating the organization of human cognition using electrical stimulation mapping and single neuron recording during surgery for epilepsy where the patients were awake under local anesthesia for portions of the operation. He looked after all the specialized equipment needed for these studies, making microelectrodes, devising a new cable or fabricating a custom part as needed and attending to the needs of the temperamental FM tape recorders. The gallery above the old OR 3 at UWMC was his particular territory.

He also assisted in the OR portions of these research studies, and kept track of all those data afterwards. Elucidating the electrocorticographic and evoked potential and in later years local field potential changes from those data remained his particular interest; he continued his studies until his death. Additionally, he was actively involved in the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy patients, including devising the first custom strip electrodes used at the UW Epilepsy Center.

Hector's brain mapping logo rudolf

Hector had a considerable aptitude for illustration as well, ranging from preparation of figures for publications, to the commercial illustrated instruction manual for the OR stimulator unit, to a logo for the brain mapping program (pictured at right), to wonderful Halloween and other seasonal decorations made from paper cafeteria trays.

Hector was a natural teacher, with a penchant for storytelling; his lessons often were a combination of these talents. With his fluency in multiple languages, he had a special relationship to many foreign visitors to the Department. Hector lived alone and at least in the time I knew him did not drive a car, always relying on public transportation.

His life was devoted to his work, his science and the Department.

He will be greatly missed.

George A. Ojemann, MD
Department of Neurological Surgery

 

Hector EGG group
Dr. Gianni Chatrian on left, EEG students in middle and Hector Lettich pictured on right.   Year: 1970

 

Hector's obituary will appear in
this weekend's Seattle Times.

The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on:
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
11 a.m.

St. Anne’s Church
1411 - 1st Ave W(Queen Anne)
Seattle, Washington

~ The funeral is open to all ~

If you would like to send a note to Hector's family or anyone in the UW Dept. of Neurosurgery or who worked with him, please send them to Rosemary Kimmel at rmkimmel@u.washington.edu and she will forward them to the appropriate person. Thank-you.

 

Ettore “Hector” Lettich Publications, 1960-2008:

  1. Lettich E, Margerison JH: The use of data from low frequency analysis to illustrate serial EEG changes in depressed patients during treatment with iproniazid. J Ment Sci 106:1111-1114, 1960
  2. Lettich E, Margerison JH: Presentation of data from low frequency analysis to illustrate serial changes in the electroencephalogram. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 13:606-611, 1961
  3. Margerison JH, Anderson WM, Dawson J, Lettich E: The relationship between sodium metabolism, verbal output and the EEG in 21 depressives. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 14:853-857, 1962
  4. Chatrian GE, Lettich E, Miller LH, Green JR: Pattern-sensitive epilepsy. I. An electrographic study of its mechanisms. Epilepsia 11:125-149, 1970
  5. Chatrian GE, Lettich E, Miller LH, Green JR, Kupfer C: Pattern-sensitive epilepsy. 2. Clinical changes, tests of responsiveness and motor output, alterations of evoked potenials and therapeutic measures. Epilepsia 11:151-162, 1970
  6. Wilkus RJ, Chatrian GE, Lettich E: The electroretinogram during terminal anoxia in humans. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 31:537-546, 1971
  7. Wilkus RJ, Harvey F, Ojemann LM, Lettich E: Electroencephalogram and sensory evoked potentials. Findings in an unresponsive patient with pontine infarct. Arch Neurol 24:538-544, 1971
  8. Noonan BD, Wilkus RJ, Chatrian GE, Lettich E: The influence of direction of gaze on the human electroretinogram recorded from periorbital electrodes: a study utilizing a summating technique. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 35:495-502, 1973
  9. Chatrian GE, Canfield RC, Lettich E, Black RG: Cerebral responses to electrical stimulation of tooth pulp in man. J Dent Res 53:1299, 1974
  10. Chatrian GE, Farrell DF, Canfield RC, Lettich E: Congenital insensitivity to noxious stimuli. Arch Neurol 32:141-145, 1975
  11. Roby RJ, Lettich E: Proceedings: A simplified circuit for stimulus artifact suppression. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 39:435, 1975
  12. Soso MJ, Lettich E, Belgum JH: Case report: responses to stripe width changes and to complex gratings of a patient with pattern-sensitive epilepsy. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 48:98-101, 1980
  13. Soso MJ, Lettich E, Belgum JH: Pattern-sensitive epilepsy. I: A demonstration of a spatial frequency selective epileptic response to gratings. Epilepsia 21:301-312, 1980
  14. Soso MJ, Lettich E, Belgum JH: Pattern-sensitive epilepsy. II: Effects of pattern orientation and hemifield stimulation. Epilepsia 21:313-323, 1980
  15. Chatrian GE, Fernandes de Lima VM, Lettich E, Canfield RC, Miller RC, Soso MJ: Electrical stimulation of tooth pulp in humans. II. Qualities of sensations. Pain 14:233-246, 1982
  16. Chatrian GE, Lettich E, Wilkus RJ, Vallarta J: Polygraphic and clinical observations on tonic-autonomic seizures. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol Suppl:101-124, 1982
  17. Fernandes de Lima VM, Chatrian GE, Lettich E, Canfield RC, Miller RC, Soso MJ: Electrical stimulation of tooth pulp in humans. I. Relationships among physical stimulus intensities, psychological magnitude estimates and cerebral evoked potentials. Pain 14:207-232, 1982
  18. Chatrian GE, Wirch AL, Edwards KH, Lettich E, Snyder JM: Cochlear summating potential recorded from the external auditory meatus of normal humans. Amplitude-intensity functions and relationships to auditory nerve compound action potential. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 59:396-410, 1984
  19. Wyler AR, Ojemann GA, Lettich E, Ward AA, Jr.: Subdural strip electrodes for localizing epileptogenic foci. J Neurosurg 60:1195-1200, 1984
  20. Ojemann GA, Creutzfeldt OD, Lettich E: Neuronal activity in human temporal cortex related to naming and short-term verbal memory, in Engel J Jr, et al (Eds): Fundamental Mechanisms of Human Brain Function. New York: Raven Press, pp. 61-68, 1987.
  21. Creutzfeldt O, Ojemann G, Lettich E: Single neuron activity in the right and left human temporal lobe during listening and speaking, in Ottoson D (Ed): Duality and Unity of the Brain. Wenner-Gren International Symposium Series, Vol. 47. Hampshire: MacMillan Press Ltd., pp. 295-310, 1987.
  22. Creutzfeldt O, Ojemann G, Lettich E: Single neuron activity in the right and left human temporal lobe during listening and speaking, in Engel J Jr et al (Eds): Fundamental Mechanisms of Human Brain Function. New York: Raven Press, pp. 69-81, 1987.
  23. Chatrian GE, Lettich E, Nelson PL: Modified nomenclature for the "10%" electrode system. J Clin Neurophysiol 5:183-186, 1988
  24. Ojemann GA, Creutzfeldt O, Lettich E, Haglund MM: Neuronal activity in human lateral temporal cortex related to short-term verbal memory, naming and reading. Brain 111 (Pt 6):1383-1403, 1988
  25. Berger MS, Kincaid J, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Brain mapping techniques to maximize resection, safety, and seizure control in children with brain tumors. Neurosurgery 25:786-792, 1989
  26. Creutzfeldt O, Ojemann G, Lettich E: Neuronal activity in the human lateral temporal lobe. I. Responses to speech. Exp Brain Res 77:451-475, 1989
  27. Creutzfeldt O, Ojemann G, Lettich E: Neuronal activity in the human lateral temporal lobe. II. Responses to the subjects own voice. Exp Brain Res 77:476-489, 1989
  28. Ojemann G, Ojemann J, Lettich E, Berger M: Cortical language localization in left, dominant hemisphere. An electrical stimulation mapping investigation in 117 patients. J Neurosurg 71:316-326, 1989
  29. Ojemann GA, Fried I, Lettich E: Electrocorticographic (ECoG) correlates of language. I. Desynchronization in temporal language cortex during object naming. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 73:453-463, 1989
  30. Artru AA, Lettich E, Colley PS, Ojemann GA: Nitrous oxide: suppression of focal epileptiform activity during inhalation, and spreading of seizure activity following withdrawal. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol 2:189-193, 1990
  31. Berger MS, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Neurophysiological monitoring during astrocytoma surgery. Neurosurg Clin N Am 1:65-80, 1990
  32. Ojemann GA, Cawthon DF, Lettich E: Localization and physiological correlates of language and verbal memory in human lateral temporoparietal cortex, in Scheibel AB and Wechsler AF (Eds): Neurobiology of Higher Cognitive Function. New York: Guilford Press, pp. 185-202, 1990.
  33. Chang CN, Ojemann LM, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Seizures of fronto-orbital origin: a proven case. Epilepsia 32:487-491, 1991
  34. Rostomily RC, Berger MS, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Postoperative deficits and functional recovery following removal of tumors involving the dominant hemisphere supplementary motor area. J Neurosurg 75:62-68, 1991
  35. Ojemann JG, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Neuronal activity related to faces and matching in human right nondominant temporal cortex. Brain 115 Pt 1:1-13, 1992
  36. Silbergeld DL, Mueller WM, Colley PS, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Use of propofol (Diprivan) for awake craniotomies: technical note. Surg Neurol 38:271-272, 1992
  37. Ojemann GA, Ojemann JG, Haglund MM, Holmes M, Lettich E: Visually related activity in human temporal cortical neurons, in Gulyas B, Ottoson D, Roland P (Eds): The Functional Organization of Human Visual Cortex. Werner-Gruen, 1992.
  38. Haglund MM, Ojemann GA, Lettich E, Bellugi U, Corina D: Dissociation of cortical and single unit activity in spoken and signed languages. Brain Lang 44:19-27, 1993
  39. Haglund MM, Berger MS, Shamseldin M, Lettich E, Ojemann GA: Cortical localization of temporal lobe language sites in patients with gliomas. Neurosurgery 34:567-576; discussion 576, 1994
  40. Haglund MM, Ojemann GA, Schwartz TW, Lettich E: Neuronal activity in human lateral temporal cortex during serial retrieval from short-term memory. J Neurosci 14:1507-1515, 1994
  41. Son EI, Howard MA, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Comparing the extent of hippocampal removal to the outcome in terms of seizure control. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 62:232-237, 1994
  42. Holmes MD, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Neuronal activity in human right lateral temporal cortex related to visuospatial memory and perception. Brain Res 711:44-49, 1996
  43. Schwartz TH, Ojemann GA, Haglund MM, Lettich E: Cerebral lateralization of neuronal activity during naming, reading and line-matching. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 4:263-273, 1996
  44. Skirboll SS, Ojemann GA, Berger MS, Lettich E, Winn HR: Functional cortex and subcortical white matter located within gliomas. Neurosurgery 38:678-684; 1. discussion 684-675, 1996
  45. Aoki F, Fetz EE, Shupe L, Lettich E, Ojemann GA: Increased gamma-range activity in human sensorimotor cortex during performance of visuomotor tasks. Clin Neurophysiol 110:524-537, 1999
  46. Schwartz TH, Haglund MM, Lettich E, Ojemann GA: Asymmetry of neuronal activity during extracellular microelectrode recording from left and right human temporal lobe neocortex during rhyming and line-matching. J Cogn Neurosci 12:803-812, 2000
  47. Aoki F, Fetz EE, Shupe L, Lettich E, Ojemann GA: Changes in power and coherence of brain activity in human sensorimotor cortex during performance of visuomotor tasks. Biosystems 63:89-99, 2001
  48. 48. Ojemann JG, Ojemann GA, Lettich E: Cortical stimulation mapping of language cortex by using a verb generation task: effects of learning and comparison to mapping based on object naming. J Neurosurg 97:33-38, 2002
  49. Ojemann SG, Berger MS, Lettich E, Ojemann GA: Localization of language function in children: results of electrical stimulation mapping. J Neurosurg 98:465-470, 2003
  50. Farrell DF, Burbank N, Lettich E, Ojemann GA: Individual variation in human motor-sensory (rolandic) cortex. J Clin Neurophysiol 24:286-293, 2007
  51. Ojemann G, Ojemann J, Lettich E, Berger M: Cortical language localization in left, dominant hemisphere. An electrical stimulation mapping investigation in 117 patients. 1989. J Neurosurg 108:411-421, 2008
 
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