Reversed laterality of cerebral functions in a non-right-hander: neuropsychological and spect findings in a case of 'atypical' dominance.
A 54-year-old non-right-handed man with positive familial sinistrality showed a pure right hemisphere syndrome following a left hemisphere stroke. Severe right side hemineglect, transcortical motor dysprosodia, spatial dysgraphia and visuo-constructive impairments were observed. At no time were the expected left hemisphere abnormalities such as aphasia, alexia, right-left disorientation or finger agnosia noted. A left fronto-temporal subcortical lesion was documented on CT scan. A Tc-99m HM-PAO SPECT study revealed no cerebral blood flow changes in the right hemisphere while in the left hemisphere a fronto-temporo-parietal cerebral blood flow reduction was evident. This case of a complete reversed laterality of cognitive functions argues for a distinction to be made between 'anomalous' cerebral dominance and 'atypical' cerebral dominance.
Padovani
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A
Department of Neurological Sciences, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Pantano
P
P
Frontoni
M
M
Iacoboni
M
M
Di Piero
V
V
Lenzi
G L
GL
D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed