Alexia without agraphia in a left-handed patient with prosopagnosia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Investigating the neurological underpinnings of complex visual processing deficits.
• Examining rare cases of alexia without agraphia and prosopagnosia in a left-handed individual.

Observation:

• The patient presented with acute alexia without agraphia, left homonymous hemianopia, and prosopagnosia.
• Neuroimaging revealed bilateral lesions in the posterior cerebral hemispheres, including the splenium of the corpus callosum.
• Neuropsychological testing showed significant deficits in facial discrimination, visual naming, and memory, alongside mild visual agnosia.

Findings:

• The observed symptoms are indicative of a double disconnection syndrome.
• This syndrome involves the disconnection of the dominant angular gyrus and right inferotemporal cortex from visual inputs.
• The bilateral lesions disrupted crucial pathways for visual information processing.

Implications:

• Understanding the functional neuroanatomy of visual processing and language.
• Highlighting the role of specific brain regions and white matter tracts in reading and facial recognition.
• Providing insights into the mechanisms underlying disconnection syndromes and their clinical manifestations.