Impairment of Action to Visual Objects in a Case of Ideomotor Apraxia

Abstract

Abstract A single-case study is reported of a left-handed patient (GF) who presented with a unimanual left-handed apraxia following lesions of the right temporal and frontal lobes. GF was particularly impaired at making learned left-handed gestures to visual stimuli, and he was rather better at left-hand gestures when given visual and tactile input and when asked to gesture to the name of the object. GF was relatively good at making right-hand gestures to objects irrespective of the modality of presentation. He also had intact proprioceptive and/or kinesthetic knowledge of the correct left arm and hand movements to make. GFs performance improved when he was asked to make an appropriate intervening action with his right hand, or when he had to perform simple repetitive actions with his left hand in between making gestures to a series of objects. GFs case supports the argument for a direct route mapping visual input to action. His impairment is attributed to a problem in inhibiting inappropriate actions wit...