The neuropsychological and neuroradiological correlates of slowly progressive visual agnosia.
The case of a 64-year-old woman affected by slowly progressive visual agnosia is reported aiming to describe specific cognitive-brain relationships. Longitudinal clinical and neuropsychological assessment, combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spectroscopy, and positron emission tomography (PET) were used. Sequential neuropsychological evaluations performed during a period of 9 years since disease onset showed the appearance of apperceptive and associative visual agnosia, alexia without agraphia, agraphia, finger agnosia, and prosopoagnosia, but excluded dementia. MRI showed moderate diffuse cortical atrophy, with predominant atrophy in the left posterior cortical areas (temporal, parietal, and lateral occipital cortical gyri). 18FDG-PET showed marked bilateral posterior cortical hypometabolism; proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging disclosed severe focal N-acetyl-aspartate depletion in the left temporoparietal and lateral occipital cortical areas. In conclusion, selective metabolic alterations and neuronal loss in the left temporoparietooccipital cortex may determine progressive visual agnosia in the absence of dementia.
Giovagnoli
Anna Rita
AR
Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, C. Besta National Neurological Institute, Via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy. rgiovagnoli@istituto-besta.it
Aresi
Anna
A
Reati
Fabiola
F
Riva
Alice
A
Gobbo
Clara
C
Bizzi
Alberto
A
D000377:Agnosia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001284:Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D018450:Disease Progression; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate