title: Rehabilitative intervention and social participation of a case with Balint's syndrome and aphasia.
abstract: Balint's syndrome is characterized by three major disorders of spatial analysis: fixed gaze or psychic paralysis, simultagnosia, and optic ataxia or misreaching. Most patients with Balint's syndrome generally do not show all three of these signs. The authors herein reported the more than four-year clinical course of a case (a 43-year-old man) with Balint's syndrome presenting these three disorders. The patient also had a mild type of conduction aphasia, but his attentional, intellectual and memory functions were well preserved. SPECT showed cerebral hypoperfusion in the bilateral parieto-occipital areas. Whereas rehabilitative intervention with process specific approach for the impaired visual cognition seemed to be significantly ineffective, a functional adaptation approach successfully promoted the patient's social participation. However, the present patient could not help having to resign from his job. Additionally, double impairment of visual (including optic ataxia) and language functions made it impossible for him to obtain a new work. Like the present case, those who have a higher brain dysfunction, but retain good physical ability can hardly receive the benefit of the social welfare system in Japan. Legislation addressing this problem is a matter of great urgency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tokai Universtiy Oiso Hospital, Oisomachi, Nakagun, Kanagawa 259-0198, Japan. toyokura@juno.dti.ne.jp
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toyokura
authors.forename: Tomoharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koike
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001037:Aphasia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013577:Syndrome; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014796:Visual Perception