A componential analysis of visual object recognition deficits in patients with herpes simplex virus encephalitis

Five patients with a diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis (HSVE) underwent neuropsychological assessment to explore the integrity of their visual perceptual abilities. Selective deficits affecting different levels of the recognition processing were found; impaired recognition abilities were also influenced by selective task requirements, which resulted either in facilitatory or constraining effects on patients' performance. A theoretical model of object recognition (Humphreys & Riddoch, 1987) was taken into account to explain patients' performance. Further, the role of specific components of visual processing was evidenced in explaining the performance of patients affected by HSVE.