The Nature of Tactile Agnosia: A Case Study

Document Type

Article

Department

Psychology (CMC)

Publication Date

5-1994

Abstract

A chronic tactile agnosic with a small, MRI-documented left inferior parietal infarction underwent detailed somesthetic testing to assess (1) the acquisition of sensory data, (2) the manipulation of somatosensory percept and its association with previous knowledge, and (3) recognition occurring at a deeper taxonomic level. Results suggest that tactile agnosia can arise from faulty high-level perceptual processes, but that the ability to associate tactually defined objects and object parts with episodic memory can be preserved. Consistent with anatomic and physiologic studies in nonhuman primates, inferior parietal cortex (including Brodmann area 40, possibly area 39) appears to serve as a high-level somatosensory region.

Rights Information

© 1994 Elsevier Ltd

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