A Cognitive Overview of Limb Apraxia
Angela Bartolo1,2, Heidi Stieglitz Ham3,4
1Université Lille, CNRS, CHRU Lille, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000, Lille, France. angela.bartolo@univ-lille3.fr.
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports
|June 29, 2016
Summary
This review reconciles limb apraxia research by integrating cognitive models and recent findings on meaningful gestures. It addresses neglected intransitive gestures and questions apraxia
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- Limb apraxia research historically focused on gesture production deficits after neurological damage.
- Recent reviews have emphasized object-related (pantomime, transitive) gestures, overlooking communicative (intransitive) gestures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of limb apraxia, integrating existing cognitive models.
- To incorporate recent findings, particularly concerning meaningful and intransitive gestures.
- To re-evaluate the nature of limb apraxia in the context of co-occurring cognitive deficits.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing cognitive models of praxis processing.
- Analysis of recent studies on limb apraxia, focusing on gesture types.
- Critical evaluation of the definition and scope of limb apraxia.
Main Results:
- Identified a gap in research focusing predominantly on transitive gestures, neglecting intransitive gestures.
- Highlighted the need to integrate findings on meaningful gestures into existing cognitive frameworks.
- Raised questions about the distinctness of limb apraxia when other cognitive impairments are present.
Conclusions:
- A unified understanding of limb apraxia requires consideration of all gesture types, including intransitive and meaningful gestures.
- Existing cognitive models need updating to encompass the full spectrum of limb apraxia.
- Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between limb apraxia and other cognitive deficits.
Keywords:
Intransitive gesturesLimb apraxiaPantomimesSocial cognitionTransitive gesturesWorking memoryMore Related Videos
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