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Multidirectional transpositions suggesting pathologic approach behavior after frontal stroke.
Michele Lepore1, Massimiliano Conson, Dario Grossi
1Stazione Climatica Bianchi, Portici, Italy.
Neurology
|May 11, 2005
Summary
Patients with right frontal stroke can accurately draw clocks from memory but misplace numbers when copying. This clock drawing deficit suggests a specific cognitive disorder affecting spatial number representation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- Stroke affecting the frontal lobe can lead to diverse cognitive deficits.
- Clock drawing is a common bedside test to assess visuospatial and executive functions.
Observation:
- A patient with a right frontal stroke accurately drew a clock from memory.
- When copying a clock, the patient moved numbers from the bottom to the top half of the dial.
Findings:
- Number translocations during clock copying were consistently directed towards the model.
- These spatial number errors resolved in a delayed copying task, suggesting a specific attentional or processing issue rather than a permanent memory deficit.
Implications:
- The findings suggest a unique disorder of spatial number representation or attentional guidance in graphic tasks.
- This case highlights the complexity of cognitive deficits following frontal lobe strokes and the utility of detailed task analysis.