[Difficulty in reaching objects due to posterior cerebral artery occlusion].
We reported two patients who developed an impairment of reaching movement with their right hand due to left posterior cerebral artery occlusion. Both patients showed abnormalities in reaching their own body parts with eyes closed, and in reaching objects presented before them with eyes fixed on the objects. No motor paralysis or ataxia was noted in either patient; nor was there any disturbance of the superficial or deep sensation except for a slight disturbance of articular localization of the right upper limb in one patient. The failure for these patients to reach their own body parts with eyes closed was thought to be caused by an impairment of kinesthesia of the right upper limb. The failure to reach objects with eyes fixed on them was also likely to be explained by the disturbance of kinesthesia besides the same mechanism as ataxie optique. CT scan revealed low density areas in the medial side of the left temporal and occipital lobes and left lateral pulvinar in both patients. These findings, together with anatomical and physiological findings in recent years, suggest that nerve fibers related to kinesthesia may be projected on the parietal association area via the lateral pulvinar.
Takahashi
N
N
Department of Neurology, Kimitsu Chuo Hospital, Chiba, Japan.
Kawamura
M
M
D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D001259:Ataxia / Q000209:etiology*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology