Multiple component agraphia in a patient with atypical cerebral dominance: an error analysis

Brain Lang. 1984 May;22(1):26-40. doi: 10.1016/0093-934x(84)90077-4.

Abstract

A 52-year-old man with atypical cerebral dominance (left-handed for writing but mixed handedness for other tasks) suffered an extensive right hemisphere stroke, resulting in a combination of deficits that has not been previously reported. There were profound visual constructive and visual perceptual disturbances and a spatial agraphia, which were consistent with a nondominant hemisphere lesion. There was also a severe apraxic agraphia, which is typically associated with a dominant hemisphere lesion, but no other signs of dominant hemisphere dysfunction such as linguistic disturbance or limb-motor apraxia were present. This case serves to highlight the functional and anatomical relationship between handwriting and other forms of praxis; the various sources of error in letter formation; the need to be specific in labeling and describing agraphias ; and the role of a detailed analysis of writing errors in delineating the neuropsychological processes involved in handwriting.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Agraphia / psychology*
  • Apraxias / psychology
  • Cerebral Infarction / psychology
  • Dominance, Cerebral*
  • Functional Laterality
  • Handwriting
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychological Tests