ICL 10.2: Symptoms of Cortical Dysfunction Flashcards
what is agnosia?
the inability to recognize, or ascribe meaning to a sensory input
a failure of recognition that is not explained by impaired primary sensation—tactile, visual, and auditory—or cognitive impairment
what is aphasia?
failure of some part of speech or language
what is apraxia?
failure to execute learned patterns of behavior or movement, NOT due to weakness or other deficits
what is alexia?
inability to read
what is agraphia?
inability to write
what is achromatopsia?
inability to identify or name colors
what are the 6 functional segments of the frontal cortex?
- motor function/pre-central gyrus
- frontal eye fields –> turning the eyes and head contralaterally
- Broca’s area/expression
- limbic system components/projections (orbitofrontal cortex) –> respiration, BP, peristalsis, other autonomic functions
- prefrontal cortex –> involved in the initiation of planned action and executive control of all mental operations, including emotional expression
- micturition center
slide 6
what deficits would you see if there was a lesion in the posterior frontal lobe?
- weakness
- gait apraxia = loss of the ability to use the lower limbs in the act of walking that cannot be explained by weakness, loss of sensation, or ataxia
this is because this is where the motor cortex is located
what deficits would you see if there was a lesion in the lateral dominant frontal lobe?
Broca’s aphasia
so the patient would have decreased speech and repetition but comprehension is relatively preserved!
the patient will also have a right-sided hemiparesis
what deficits would you see if there was a lesion in the medial frontal lobe?
bladder incontinence
lesions in the posterior part of the superior frontal gyrus, the anterior cingulate gyrus, and the intervening white matter result in a loss of control of micturition and defecation
the medial frontal lobe is where the micturition cortex is located
what deficits would you see if there was a lesion in the anterior/prefrontal lobe?
- dysexecutive function
- apathy and abulia = lack of initiative and spontaneity
- disinhibition = lack of self control
the prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive function!
what deficits would you see if there was a lesion in the frontal eye fields?
gaze deviation towards the lesion
nasal vs. temporal eye field of each eye pushes your vision to the opposite side normally
what are the overall effects of a frontal lobe lesion?
lesions of the frontal lobes give rise to a loss of drive, impairment of consecutive planning, an inability to maintain serial relationships of events, and to shift easily from one mental activity to another
these are combined with sucking, grasping, and groping reflexes and other obligate behavior
in the emotional sphere, frontal lobe lesions may cause anhedonia (lack of pleasure), apathy, loss of self-control, disinhibited social behavior
what is dysexecutive syndrome?
the prefrontal cortex controls personality, character, motivation, abstract thinking, introspection and planning
so lesions of the frontal lobe would cause dysexecutive syndrome:
- abulia = loss of drive/willpower
- inability to shift attention
- anhedonia = lack of pleasure
- apathy
- disinhibition = no self control
what is Broca’s aphasia?
due to damage to Broca’s area in the frontal lobe of the dominant left hemisphere
signs of broca’s aphasia include:
- decreased fluency and phrase length; more nouns, fewer articles prepositions, agrammatism
- naming is impaired
- repetition impaired
- reading and writing are slow
- right sided weakness
comprehension is still intact though so the patients can understand you and what they’re saying makes sense even if it’s broken –> this leads to the patients often being frustrated
what are the functional segments of the temporal lobe?
- Heschl’s gyrus/audtory cortex @ the sylvan fissure
- auditory association cortex @ superior temporal lobe
- medial temporal lobe = gustation and olfaction
- arcuate fasciculus
- Meyer’s loop = visual pathway
- Wernicke’s area
- hippocampus
- visual association cortex
slide 14
what deficits would you see with lesions involving Wernicke’s area?
receptive aphasia
the patient literally doesn’t make any sense – poor comprehension and meaning is impaired but speech is effortless
decreased reptition as well – may be semi or quadrantanopia
Wernicke’s area = temporal lobe
what deficits would you see with lesions involving the auditory association cortex?
- auditory agnosia
- amusia
lesions have no effect on the perception of sounds and pure tones however, the appreciation of complex combinations of sounds is severely impaired
this impairment, or auditory agnosia, takes several forms: inability to recognize sounds, different musical notes (amusia), or words
auditory association cortex = temporal lobe
what deficits would you see with lesions involving the visual association cortex?
visual agnosia
this is a condition in which a person can see but cannot recognize or interpret visual information –> an inability to name or describe the use for an object placed in front of you when just looking at it
visual association area = temporal lobe
what deficits would you see with lesions involving Heschl’s gyrus?
aka the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe!
the patient will experience cortical deafness ONLY if the lesion is bilateral
what is paraphasia?
inappropriate word substitutions
it can either be semantic substitutions like water for jacuzzi or it can be phonemic substitutions like trap for flap