Behavioural Neurology - Volume 16, issue 4

Authors: Beeson, Pélagie M. | Magloire, Joël G. | Robey, Randall R.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The present investigation provides a longitudinal study of an individual (RB) with acquired alexia following left posterior cerebral artery stroke. At initial testing, RB exhibited acquired alexia characterized by letter-by-letter (LBL) reading, mild anomic aphasia, and acquired agraphia. Repeated measures of reading accuracy and rate were collected for single words and text over the course of one year, along with probes of naming and spelling abilities. Improvements associated with natural recovery (i.e., without …treatment) were documented up to the fourth month post onset, when text reading appeared to be relatively stable. Multiple oral reading (MOR) treatment was initiated at 22 weeks post-stroke, and additional improvements in reading rate and accuracy for text were documented that were greater than those expected on the basis of spontaneous recovery alone. Over the course of one year, reading reaction times for single words improved, and the word-length effect that is the hallmark of LBL reading diminished. RB's response to treatment supports the therapeutic value of MOR treatment to in LBL readers. His residual impairment of reading and spelling one-year post stroke raised the question as to whether further progress was impeded by degraded orthographic knowledge. Show more

Keywords: Alexia, dyslexia, letter-by-letter reading, treatment

Citation: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 191-202, 2005

Authors: Vandekerckhove, Marie M.P. | Markowitsch, Hans J. | Mertens, Markus | Woermann, Friedrich G.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study the neural correlates of neutral, stressful, negative and positive autobiographical memories. The brain activity produced by these different kinds of episodic memory did not differ significantly, but a common pattern of activation for different kinds of autobiographical memory was revealed that included (1) largely bilateral portions of the medial and superior temporal lobes, hippocampus and parahippocampus, (2) portions of the ventral, medial, superior …and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, (3) the anterior and posterior cingulate, including the retrosplenial, cortex, (4) the parietal cortex, and (5) portions of the cerebellum. The brain regions that were mainly activated constituted an interactive network of temporal and prefrontal areas associated with structures of the extended limbic system. The main bilateral activations with left-sided preponderance probably reflected reactivation of complex semantic and episodic self-related information representations that included previously experienced contexts. In conclusion, the earlier view of a strict left versus right prefrontal laterality in the retrieval of semantic as opposed to episodic autobiographical memory, may have to be modified by considering contextual variables such as task demands and subject variables. Consequently, autobiographical memory integration should be viewed as based on distributed bi-hemispheric neural networks supporting multi-modal, emotionally coloured components of personal episodes. Show more

Keywords: Autobiographical episodic memory, emotion, neural correlates, fMRI

Citation: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 203-210, 2005

Authors: Lampl, Yair | Lorberboym, Mordechai | Gilad, Ronit | Boaz, Mona | Sadeh, Menachem

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Auditory hallucinations are uncommon phenomena which can be directly caused by acute stroke, mostly described after lesions of the brain stem, very rarely reported after cortical strokes. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of this phenomenon. In a cross sectional study, 641 stroke patients were followed in the period between 1996–2000. Each patient underwent comprehensive investigation and follow-up. Four patients were found to have post cortical stroke auditory hallucinations. All of them …occurred after an ischemic lesion of the right temporal lobe. After no more than four months, all patients were symptom-free and without therapy. The fact the auditory hallucinations may be of cortical origin must be taken into consideration in the treatment of stroke patients. The phenomenon may be completely reversible after a couple of months. Show more

Citation: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 211-216, 2005

Authors: Nemoto, Takahiro | Mizuno, Masafumi | Kashima, Haruo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Patients with schizophrenia show deficits across a broad spectrum of neurocognitive domains. In particular, deficits in verbal fluency are common. Verbal fluency tests are neuropsychological tests that assess frontal lobe function or executive function but also assess divergent thinking. However, few studies have considered the impairment of verbal fluency from the viewpoint of divergent thinking. To consider the structure of divergent thinking, not only verbal assessments but also non-verbal assessments are indispensable. We …administered several fluency tests, the idea fluency test, the design fluency test, and word (letter and category) fluency tests to 26 patients with schizophrenia and 26 healthy control subjects to evaluate divergent thinking in both groups and assessed their responses qualitatively. An acceptable minimal level of intelligence was maintained in the patient group. Although attention and executive functioning were relatively preserved in the subjects with schizophrenia, they demonstrated significant deficits in divergent thinking and had particular difficulty in producing ideas and designs requiring concept flexibility, a conversion of viewpoint, originality, or novelty. Research on deficits in divergent thinking in patients with schizophrenia may contribute to the development of cognitive and behavioral rehabilitation programs. Show more

Citation: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 217-224, 2005

Authors: Verhoeven, Jo | Mariën, Peter | Engelborghs, Sebastiaan | D'Haenen, Hugo | De Deyn, Peter

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this paper is to report the psychiatric, neuroradiological and linguistic characteristics in a native speaker of Dutch who developed speech symptoms which strongly resemble Foreign Accent Syndrome. Background: Foreign Accent Syndrome is a rare speech production disorder in which the speech of a patient is perceived as foreign by speakers of the same speech community. This syndrome is generally related to focal brain damage. Only in few reported cases the …Foreign Accent Syndrome is assumed to be of psychogenic and/or psychotic origin. Method: In addition to clinical and neuroradiological examinations, an extensive test battery of standardized neuropsychological and neurolinguistic investigations was carried out. Two samples of the patient's spontaneous speech were analysed and compared to a 500,000-words reference corpus of 160 normal native speakers of Dutch. Results: The patient had a prominent French accent in her pronunciation of Dutch. This accent had persisted over the past eight years and has become progressively stronger. The foreign qualities of her speech did not only relate to pronunciation, but also to the lexicon, syntax and pragmatics. Structural as well as functional neuroimaging did not reveal evidence that could account for the behavioural symptoms. By contrast psychological investigations indicated conversion disorder. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge this is the first reported case of a foreign accent like syndrome in conversion disorder. Show more

Keywords: Foreign accent syndrome, conversion disorder, neurolinguistics

Citation: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 225-232, 2005

Authors: Orssaud, Christophe | Halimi, Philippe | Jeunne, Claire Le | Dufier, Jean Louis

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Background: The reversed clock phenomenon results in the transposition of objects from one side to another. Its major manifestation consists in the reversal of clock numbers in clock-drawing test. It could be due to a stroke disrupting attentional cerebral network. This phenomenon usually regresses in a few days. Objective: To report a case of reversed clock phenomenon with disorders of space representation that did not regress spontaneously. Design: Case report. Patient: A 67 year-old …woman was referred due to headaches associated with gait disorder, visual field deficit and disturbance of space representation. Results: Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrates two right cerebral infarcts mainly localized in the parieto-occipital region. A week after her stoke, clinical testing confirms a reversed clock phenomenon. The patient placed the hands of a clock in the opposite direction of what was specified. She got lost at home locating rooms in directions opposite to their real ones. Rehabilitation sessions partially improved these manifestations. Conclusion: Although it usually improves in a few days, reversed clock phenomenon can persist longer. Rehabilitation sessions based on localization exercises may be helpful in such situations. Show more

Citation: Behavioural Neurology, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 233-236, 2005