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Neuropsychologia Sep 2022Many studies have attempted to identify the perceptual underpinnings of developmental prosopagnosia (DP). The majority have focused on whether holistic and configural...
Many studies have attempted to identify the perceptual underpinnings of developmental prosopagnosia (DP). The majority have focused on whether holistic and configural processing mechanisms are impaired in DP. However, previous work suggests that there is substantial heterogeneity in holistic and configural processing within the DP population; further, there is disagreement as to whether any deficits are face-specific or reflect a broader perceptual deficit. This study used a data-driven approach to examine whether there are systematic patterns of variability in DP that reflect different underpinning perceptual deficits. A group of individuals with DP (N = 37) completed a cognitive battery measuring holistic/configural and featural processing in faces and non-face objects. A two-stage cluster analysis on data from the Cambridge Face Perception Test identified two subgroups of DPs. Across several tasks, the first subgroup (N = 21) showed typical patterns of holistic/configural processing (measured via inversion effects); the second (N = 16) was characterised by reduced or abolished inversion effects compared to age-matched control participants (N = 91). The subgroups did not differ on tasks measuring upright face matching, object matching, non-face holistic processing, or composite effects. These findings indicate two separable pathways to face recognition impairment, one characterised by impaired configural processing and the other potentially by impaired featural processing. Comparisons to control participants provide some preliminary evidence that the deficit in featural processing may extend to some non-face stimuli. Our results demonstrate the utility of examining both the variability between and consistency across individuals with DP as a means of illuminating our understanding of face recognition in typical and atypical populations.
Topics: Facial Recognition; Humans; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Photic Stimulation; Prosopagnosia; Recognition, Psychology
PubMed: 35839963
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108332 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2022We describe the case of a 57-years-old patient who presented an Anton-Babinski syndrome in the context of a stroke-like migraine attack after radiation therapy (SMART).
INTRODUCTION
We describe the case of a 57-years-old patient who presented an Anton-Babinski syndrome in the context of a stroke-like migraine attack after radiation therapy (SMART).
CASE REPORT
The patient was brought to the emergency room following a sudden loss of vision in the context of a pre-existing left-sided hemianopia after excision of a right occipital astrocytoma followed by radio-chemotherapy 35 years prior to his admission in our services. At admittance, he also presented hyperthermia, hypertension, and a GCS of 7. The MRI showed a leptomeningeal enhancement in the left temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. After exclusion of other differential diagnoses, we diagnosed a cortical blindness in the context of a SMART syndrome affecting the left hemisphere. While the symptoms improved under corticosteroid therapy, the patient successively presented an Anton-Babinski syndrome, a Riddoch syndrome and a visual associative agnosia before finally regaining his usual sight.
DISCUSSION
This is, to our knowledge, the first report of an Anton-Babinski syndrome in the context of a SMART syndrome. A dual etiology is mandatory for cortical blindness in SMART syndrome since the latter affects only one hemisphere. A SMART syndrome affecting the contralateral hemisphere in respect to the radiation site seems to be uncommon, which makes this case even more exceptional.
PubMed: 35832180
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.887287 -
Neuroradiology Oct 2022A 23-year-old previously healthy man (Patient 1) and a 33-year-old woman with a past history of depression (Patient 2) developed neurological symptoms approximately...
A 23-year-old previously healthy man (Patient 1) and a 33-year-old woman with a past history of depression (Patient 2) developed neurological symptoms approximately 1 week after receipt of the first COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and deteriorated over the next week. Patient 1 reported nausea, headache, a high fever, and retrograde amnesia. Patient 2 reported visual disturbance, headache, dysarthria, a left forearm tremor, dysesthesia of the mouth and distal limbs, and visual agnosia. PCR test results for SARS-CoV-2 were negative. Complete blood cell count, biochemistry, and antibody test and cerebrospinal fluid test findings were unremarkable. Diffusion-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI of the brain showed a high signal intensity lesion at the midline of the splenium of the corpus callosum compatible with cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum (CLOCCs). High-dose intravenous methylprednisolone improved their symptoms and imaging findings. CLOCCs should be considered in patients with neurological manifestation after COVID-19 vaccination.
Topics: Adult; Antineoplastic Agents; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Corpus Callosum; Encephalitis; Female; Headache; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; Young Adult
PubMed: 35809100
DOI: 10.1007/s00234-022-03010-y -
Frontiers in Neurology 2022Some patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) present with various types of hearing deficits. Research on the auditory function and speech sounds in PPA,...
Some patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) present with various types of hearing deficits. Research on the auditory function and speech sounds in PPA, including temporal, phonemic, and prosodic processing, revealed impairment in some of these auditory processes. Many patients with PPA who present with impaired word recognition subsequently developed non-fluent variant PPA. Herein, we present a patient with semantic variant PPA (svPPA) who demonstrated impaired verbal word discrimination. Audiological examinations revealed normal auditory brainstem responses and slightly impaired pure-tone perception. By contrast, verbal word discrimination and monosyllable identification were impaired, and temporal auditory acuity deteriorated. Analyses of brain magnetic resonance images revealed a significant decrease in the gray matter volume in bilateral superior temporal areas, predominantly on the left, compared with those of patients with typical svPPA, which appeared to be associated with impaired word recognition in our patient.
PubMed: 35785359
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.873735 -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Sep 2022Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by lifelong face recognition difficulties. To date, it remains unclear whether or not...
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by lifelong face recognition difficulties. To date, it remains unclear whether or not individuals with DP experience impaired recognition of facial expressions. It has been proposed that DPs may have sufficient perceptual ability to correctly interpret facial expressions when tasks are relatively easy (e.g., the stimuli are unambiguous and viewing conditions are optimal), but exhibit subtle impairments when tested under more challenging conditions. In the present study, we sought to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to test this view. It is well-established that the surgical-type masks worn during the pandemic hinder the recognition and interpretation of facial emotion in typical participants. Relative to typical participants, we hypothesized that DPs may be disproportionately impaired when asked to interpret the facial emotion of people wearing face masks. We compared the ability of 34 DPs and 60 age-matched typical controls to recognize facial emotions i) when the whole face is visible, and ii) when the lower portion of the face is covered with a surgical mask. When expression stimuli were viewed without a mask, the DPs and typical controls exhibited similar levels of performance. However, when expression stimuli were shown with a mask, the DPs showed signs of subtle expression recognition deficits. The DPs were particularly prone to mislabeling masked expressions of happiness as emotion neutral. These results add to a growing body of evidence that under some conditions, DPs do exhibit subtle deficits of expression recognition.
Topics: COVID-19; Facial Expression; Facial Recognition; Humans; Pandemics; Prosopagnosia; Recognition, Psychology
PubMed: 35728295
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.05.008 -
Brain Communications 2022The Gerstmann syndrome is a constellation of neurological deficits that include agraphia, acalculia, left-right discrimination and finger agnosia. Despite a growing...
The Gerstmann syndrome is a constellation of neurological deficits that include agraphia, acalculia, left-right discrimination and finger agnosia. Despite a growing interest in this clinical phenomenon, there remains controversy regarding the specific neuroanatomic substrates involved. Advancements in data-driven, computational modelling provides an opportunity to create a unified cortical model with greater anatomic precision based on underlying structural and functional connectivity across complex cognitive domains. A literature search was conducted for healthy task-based functional MRI and PET studies for the four cognitive domains underlying Gerstmann's tetrad using the electronic databases PubMed, Medline, and BrainMap Sleuth (2.4). Coordinate-based, meta-analytic software was utilized to gather relevant regions of interest from included studies to create an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) map for each cognitive domain. Machine-learning was used to match activated regions of the ALE to the corresponding parcel from the cortical parcellation scheme previously published under the Human Connectome Project (HCP). Diffusion spectrum imaging-based tractography was performed to determine the structural connectivity between relevant parcels in each domain on 51 healthy subjects from the HCP database. Ultimately 102 functional MRI studies met our inclusion criteria. A frontoparietal network was found to be involved in the four cognitive domains: calculation, writing, finger gnosis, and left-right orientation. There were three parcels in the left hemisphere, where the ALE of at least three cognitive domains were found to be overlapping, specifically the anterior intraparietal area, area 7 postcentral (7PC) and the medial intraparietal sulcus. These parcels surround the anteromedial portion of the intraparietal sulcus. Area 7PC was found to be involved in all four domains. These regions were extensively connected in the intraparietal sulcus, as well as with a number of surrounding large-scale brain networks involved in higher-order functions. We present a tractographic model of the four neural networks involved in the functions which are impaired in Gerstmann syndrome. We identified a 'Gerstmann Core' of extensively connected functional regions where at least three of the four networks overlap. These results provide clinically actionable and precise anatomic information which may help guide clinical translation in this region, such as during resective brain surgery in or near the intraparietal sulcus, and provides an empiric basis for future study.
PubMed: 35706977
DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac140 -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Aug 2022Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with difficulties in the perception and recognition of faces. However, the extent to which...
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with difficulties in the perception and recognition of faces. However, the extent to which DP affects non-face object is an ongoing debate. In this study, we asked whether pareidolic objects (which give rise to the perception of a face) are also affected in DP. First, we compared performance in DPs (n = 30) and controls (n = 27) on a recognition task with faces, pareidolic objects and non-pareidolic objects (bottles). The pareidolic objects had either similar or dissimilar image statistics to faces. Consistent with our understanding of DP, we found that the pattern of recognition across items between DPs and controls was lowest for faces. Interestingly, there was also a low correlation between DPs and controls for pareidolic-similar objects that was similar to faces. In contrast, there were higher correlations between DPs and controls for pareidolic-dissimilar objects and bottles, which were both significantly different to faces. These findings suggest that the deficit in DP involves processing image properties that are common to faces. Next, using an individual differences approach across a large group of neurotypical adults (n = 94), we found that face recognition covaried with the recognition of pareidolic-similar objects, but not with pareidolic-dissimilar objects or non-pareidolic objects. Together, these findings support the idea that a representation based on image properties plays an important role in the perception and recognition of objects and faces and that the deficit in the perception of some object categories in DP could be explained by their similarity to the image properties found in faces.
Topics: Adult; Facial Recognition; Humans; Individuality; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Prosopagnosia; Recognition, Psychology
PubMed: 35576670
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.04.011 -
European Journal of Neurology Sep 2022Unilateral neglect is a common cognitive disorder following stroke. Neglect has a significant impact on functional outcomes, so it is important to detect. However, there...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Unilateral neglect is a common cognitive disorder following stroke. Neglect has a significant impact on functional outcomes, so it is important to detect. However, there is no consensus on which are the best screening tests to administer to detect neglect in time-limited clinical environments.
METHODS
Members of the European Academy of Neurology Scientific Panel on Higher Cortical Functions, neuropsychologists, occupational therapists, and researchers produced recommendations for primary and secondary tests for bedside neglect testing based on a rigorous literature review, data extraction, online consensus meeting, and subsequent iterations.
RESULTS
A total of 512 articles were screened, and 42 were included. These reported data from 3367 stroke survivors assessed using 62 neglect screens. Tests were grouped into cancellation, line bisection, copying, reading/writing, and behavioral. Cancellation tasks were most frequently used (97.6% of studies), followed by bisection, copying, behavioral, and reading/writing assessments. The panel recommended a cancellation test as the primary screening test if there is time to administer only one test. One of several cancellation tests might be used, depending on availability. If time permits, one or more of line bisection, figure copying, and baking tray task were recommended as secondary tests. Finally, if a functional and ecological test is feasible, the Catherine Bergego Scale was recommended. Overall, the literature suggests that no single test on its own is sufficient to exclude a diagnosis of neglect. Therefore, the panel recommended that multiple neglect tests should be used whenever possible.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides consensus recommendations for rapid bedside detection of neglect in real-world, clinical environments.
Topics: Agnosia; Humans; Neurology; Neuropsychological Tests; Perceptual Disorders; Stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation
PubMed: 35510782
DOI: 10.1111/ene.15381 -
Acta Neurologica Taiwanica Dec 2022A 56-year-old, right-handed man with no known past medical history presented with sudden onset of inability to recognize familiar individuals in person, including his...
A 56-year-old, right-handed man with no known past medical history presented with sudden onset of inability to recognize familiar individuals in person, including his wife and his mother. He also couldn't recognize himself in the mirror. There was no weakness, numbness, visual disturbances, or speech difficulty. Face recognition test, using Warrington Recognition Memory Test (1), showed the presence of complete prosopagnosia. The rest of the neurological and cranial nerves examinations were normal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed restricted diffusion at the right temporal and occipital lobes (the fusiform gyrus) [Figure 1]. Magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) of the brain was unremarkable. The 24-hours Holter monitoring showed paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The transthoracic echocardiogram and carotid doppler ultrasound scan were normal. He was then treated with rivaroxaban 20mg daily for secondary stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Face recognition skill training was started in the ward, which includes compensatory strategies to achieve person recognition by circumventing the face processing impairment, and remediation to enhance mnemonic function for face recognition. His prosopagnosia resolved completely after one week. Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is an impairment in recognizing faces. The core defects are the loss of familiarity with previously known faces and the inability to recognize new faces. Patients with prosopagnosia may present with poor recognition of familiar individuals in person or in the photograph, confusion with plotlines in movies or plays with numerous characters, and difficulty distinguishing individuals wearing a uniform or similar clothing. Stroke is the most common cause of acquired prosopagnosia (2). Other less common aetiologies include traumatic brain injury, carbon monoxide poisoning, temporal lobectomy, and encephalitis. Literature has shown that areas involved in acquired prosopagnosia are the right fusiform gyrus or anterior temporal cortex, or both (3). The fusiform gyrus is part of the lateral temporal lobe and occipital lobe in 'Brodmann area 37' (4). The fusiform gyrus is considered a key structure for functionally specialized computations of high-level vision such as face perception, object recognition, and reading. Individuals with fusiform lesions are more likely to have apperceptive prosopagnosia, while those with anterior temporal lesions have an amnestic variant (5). In summary, prosopagnosia can be the sole presentation for the right fusiform gyrus stroke. It is important to recognize prosopagnosia for early stroke diagnosis and avoid misdiagnosing it as a psychiatric or ocular disorder. Keywords: prosopagnosia, fusiform gyrus, stroke.
Topics: Humans; Infarction; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Occipital Lobe; Prosopagnosia; Stroke; Temporal Lobe
PubMed: 35470413
DOI: No ID Found -
Brain Sciences Apr 2022Visuo-motor adaptation to optical prisms ( PA), displacing the visual scene laterally, is a behavioral method used for the experimental investigation of visuomotor...
Visuo-motor adaptation to optical prisms ( PA), displacing the visual scene laterally, is a behavioral method used for the experimental investigation of visuomotor plasticity, and, in clinical settings, for temporarily ameliorating and rehabilitating unilateral spatial neglect. This study investigated the building up of PA, and the presence of the typically occurring subsequent (AEs) in a brain-damaged patient (TMA), suffering from apperceptive agnosia and a right visual half-field defect, with bilateral atrophy of the parieto-occipital cortices, regions involved in PA and AEs. Base-Right prisms and control neutral lenses were used. PA was achieved by repeated pointing movements toward three types of stimuli: visual, auditory, and bimodal audio-visual. The presence and the magnitude of AEs were assessed by proprioceptive, visual, visuo-proprioceptive, and auditory-proprioceptive straight-ahead pointing tasks. The patient's brain connectivity was investigated by Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). Unlike control participants, TMA did not show any adaptation to prism exposure, but her AEs were largely preserved. These findings indicate that AEs may occur even in the absence of PA, as indexed by the reduction of the pointing error, showing a dissociation between the classical measures of PA and AEs. In the PA process, error reduction, and its feedback, may be less central to the building up of AEs, than the sensorimotor pointing activity per se.
PubMed: 35448011
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12040480