Topographical disorientation in a patient with late-onset blindness with multiple acute ischemic brain lesions

Abstract

The neurological basis for topographical disorientation has recently shifted from a model of navigation utilizing egocentric techniques alone, to multiple parallel systems of topographical cognition including egocentric and allocentric strategies. We explored if this hypothesis may be applicable to a patient with late-onset blindness. A 72-year-old male with bilateral blindness experienced a sudden inability to navigate after suffering a stroke. Multiple lesions scattered bilaterally throughout the parietal–occipital lobes were found. Deficits in the neural correlates underlying egocentric or allocentric strategies may result in topographical disorientation, even if one appears to be the predominant orientation strategy utilized.