Crossed "right hemisphere syndrome" with limb apraxia: A case study.

Abstract

A 71-year-old dextral man with a large left frontotemporal cerebrovascular accident (Cl'lt) had none of the expected impairments such as aphasia, buccofadal apraxia, alexia, agraphia, acalculia, left-right confusion, or finger agnosia. He did have symptoms usually found with right hemisphere damage, including contralateral hemineglect, anosognosia, a visual-spatial disability, dysprosody, impaired singing, poor judgment, impulsiveness, lethargy, and an indifference reaction. These findings suggest that he had crossed lateralization. They further suggest a possible affinity or commonality among the various usual functions of the right hemisphere. The patient had a moderate limb apraxia, suggesting that limb praxis follows handedness, not language lateralization. The prevalence and sex distribution of the syndrome are discussed. The implications of these findings for theories of cerebral lateralization are also discussed.

Crossed-Brain Representation of Verbal and Nonverbal Functions

“…Disturbances usually found in cases of right hemisphere lesions, such as visuospatial defects, but associated with left hemisphere lesions in right-handers [ 18 ] have also been reported [ 19 – 22 ]. Marchetti et al [ 23 ], for example, described a patient with a left thalamic lesion who showed motor impersistence, visuospatial dysfunction, and poor comprehension of facial expressions.…”

Reversed laterality and crossed aphasia: A case study.

“…If this is true, then cases of reversed laterality suffering spatial deficits but no aphasia following left hemisphere damage should demonstrate ideomotor apraxia. Of four cases reported with no aphasia following left CVA, praxis was examined in two (Judd, 1989; Junque et al, 1986) and was found to be impaired. Taylor and Solomon (1979) and Podbros and DePiero (1985) did not evaluate praxis.…”