title: Written spelling agraphia.
abstract: When a disorder of single word writing is seen in conjunction with preserved oral spelling and intact written grapheme formation ("written spelling agraphia"), the deficit may be presumed to lie somewhere between letter choice and written motor output. Two potential deficits are considered: (1) visual letter codes are not activated properly and (2) the information contained within properly activated visual letter codes fails to reach intact graphic motor patterns. Two patients with written spelling agraphia were each given a series of tests aimed at distinguishing between the two possibilities. Results suggest that the written spelling agraphia seen in these two patients arises from different underlying deficits. The results are discussed in terms of the patients' CT scan lesion sites, which were markedly different.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Alexander
mesh_terms: D000381:Agraphia / Q000523:psychology*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000523:psychology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D006236:Handwriting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014706:Verbal Learning