Mirror writing and reversing single letters in stroke patients and normal elderly

Abstract

Mirror writing (MW) refers to the production of individual letters or whole word strings in reversed direction. When held to a mirror, these letters or words can be read normally. We observed MW in a considerable number of stroke patients. Of the 86 patients screened 15 (17.5%) showed at least one instance of mirror writing in any of the tasks. Both right (14% of 36 patients) and left (20% of 50 patients) hemisphere damaged patients produced reversed letters only when writing with their left hand, respectively the contralesional and ipsilesional hand. The dissociated performance between the two hands in brain damaged patients is relevant to the interpretation of MW because, unlike all other peripheral dysgraphias, MW affects the non-dominant hand only. Importantly, healthy elderly also showed MW solely when writing with their left hand (6.9% of 86 participants). MW in controls was less frequent but qualitatively similar to that observed in brain damaged patients. This finding is consistent with the motor interpretation of MW that assumes an inability to transform the stored letter forming programmes for left hand writing. However, several cases have been reported in the literature of a more pervasive form of MW whereby patients mirror reverse entire words or sentences. This pattern has been observed in children learning to write but it has never been observed in healthy adult volunteers. We propose that the diagnosis of MW should be limited to the reversal of whole words, multi-digit numbers and full sentences, which reveal a disorder in coding the correct direction of writing rather than an inability to accomplish the correct spatial orientation of single letters.

Mirror writing resulting from an egocentric representation disorder: A case report

“…It does not, however, explain PM's impaired starting point for writing or her writing direction. She also reverses whole words and sentences, similarly to what has already been described in other patients (see, for example, cases described in: Balfour, Borthwick, Cubelli, & Della Sala, 2007;Streifler & Hofman, 1976).…”

Mirror writing in pre-school children: a pilot study

“…Within a larger project on MW (see e.g., Balfour et al 2007;Della Sala and Cubelli 2007) the current experiment should be considered as a pilot study assessing the relationship between MW and learning to write. Aim of this study is to ascertain the variables associated with MW in pre-school children before they enter formal education.…”

“…following a stroke (see review in Balfour et al 2007). Involuntary MW is also frequently observed in pre-school children while learning to write (Cornell 1985) mainly between the ages of 3 and 7 years (Schott 2008) and has been claimed to be associated with slow intellectual development.…”

Mirror man: A case of skilled deliberate mirror writing

“…Spontaneous mirror writing is common amongst pre-and early-school-age children undergoing literacy development (Cornell, 1985;Gordon, 1920). Involuntary mirror writing refers to the production of mirrored script by adults following brain damage (Balfour, Borthwick, Cubelli, & Della Sala, 2007;Critchley, 1927Critchley, , 1928. Mirror writing can also be deliberate and skilful.…”