Constructional apraxia and visuoperceptive disabilities in relation to laterality of cerebral lesions. 1978

R Arena, and G Gainotti

The main purpose of the present study was to determine whether constructional apraxia is due to a visual perceptual disorder in right but not in left brain-damaged patients. In order to resolve this question, 36 normal controls and 73 brain-damaged patients with lesions restricted to the right (N = 30) or to the left (N = 43) cerebral hemisphere were given a graphomotor and a multiple choice version of the Benton Visual Retention Test. The graphomotor version of the V.R.T. was used as a test of constructional praxis, whereas the multiple choice version of the V.R.T. was used as a test of visual form discrimination. No difference was found between right and left brain-damaged patients with respect to incidence and severity of visuo-constructive and of visuo-perceptive disabilities. Contrary to the hypothesis, the relationship between perceptual and praxic tasks was higher in left than in right brain-damaged patients. The high level of correlation found between graphomotor and perceptual scores within the left hemispheric group was due chiefly to the poor performances obtained on both tasks by aphasic patients. These findings are interpreted as suggesting that the basis for visuoconstructive disturbances is a perceptual disorder, independently of the hemispheric side of lesion. The contrasting results of our intercorrelational study and of analogous studies reported in neuropsychological literature are interpreted as being due to sampling differences, in the absence of clearcut qualitative or quantitative differences between visuo-constructive disabilities of right and left brain-damaged patients.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D009048 Motor Skills Performance of complex motor acts. Motor Skill,Skill, Motor,Skills, Motor
D009483 Neuropsychological Tests Tests designed to assess neurological function associated with certain behaviors. They are used in diagnosing brain dysfunction or damage and central nervous system disorders or injury. Aphasia Tests,Cognitive Test,Cognitive Testing,Cognitive Tests,Memory for Designs Test,Neuropsychological Testing,AX-CPT,Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome,CANTAB,Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery,Clock Test,Cognitive Function Scanner,Continuous Performance Task,Controlled Oral Word Association Test,Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System,Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment,Hooper Visual Organization Test,NEPSY,Neuropsychologic Tests,Neuropsychological Test,Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test,Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status,Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure,Symbol Digit Modalities Test,Test of Everyday Attention,Test, Neuropsychological,Tests, Neuropsychological,Tower of London Test,Neuropsychologic Test,Test, Cognitive,Testing, Cognitive,Testing, Neuropsychological,Tests, Cognitive
D010468 Perceptual Disorders Cognitive disorders characterized by an impaired ability to perceive the nature of objects or concepts through use of the sense organs. These include spatial neglect syndromes, where an individual does not attend to visual, auditory, or sensory stimuli presented from one side of the body. Hemispatial Neglect,Hemisensory Neglect,Sensory Neglect,Somatosensory Discrimination Disorder,Discrimination Disorder, Somatosensory,Discrimination Disorders, Somatosensory,Hemisensory Neglects,Hemispatial Neglects,Neglect, Hemisensory,Neglect, Hemispatial,Neglect, Sensory,Neglects, Hemisensory,Perceptual Disorder,Sensory Neglects,Somatosensory Discrimination Disorders
D011581 Psychological Tests Standardized tests designed to measure abilities (as in intelligence, aptitude, and achievement tests) or to evaluate personality traits. Parenting Stress Index,Trier Social Stress Test,Trier Stress Test,Psychologic Tests,Psychological Test,Test, Psychological,Tests, Psychological,Index, Parenting Stress,Psychologic Test,Stress Index, Parenting,Stress Test, Trier,Test, Psychologic,Test, Trier Stress,Trier Stress Tests
D001925 Brain Damage, Chronic A condition characterized by long-standing brain dysfunction or damage, usually of three months duration or longer. Potential etiologies include BRAIN INFARCTION; certain NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS; CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA; ANOXIA, BRAIN; ENCEPHALITIS; certain NEUROTOXICITY SYNDROMES; metabolic disorders (see BRAIN DISEASES, METABOLIC); and other conditions. Encephalopathy, Chronic,Chronic Encephalopathy,Chronic Brain Damage
D002540 Cerebral Cortex The thin layer of GRAY MATTER on the surface of the CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES that develops from the TELENCEPHALON and folds into gyri and sulci. It reaches its highest development in humans and is responsible for intellectual faculties and higher mental functions. Allocortex,Archipallium,Cortex Cerebri,Cortical Plate,Paleocortex,Periallocortex,Allocortices,Archipalliums,Cerebral Cortices,Cortex Cerebrus,Cortex, Cerebral,Cortical Plates,Paleocortices,Periallocortices,Plate, Cortical
D004193 Discrimination Learning Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli. Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D004292 Dominance, Cerebral Dominance of one cerebral hemisphere over the other in cerebral functions. Cerebral Dominance,Hemispheric Specialization,Dominances, Cerebral,Specialization, Hemispheric
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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