Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1977 May;40(5):498–505. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.40.5.498

Topographical amnesia.

E De Renzi, P Faglioni, P Villa
PMCID: PMC492725  PMID: 894320

Abstract

The ability to learn to criterion a visually-guided stylus maze was found impaired in patients with right posterior cerebral damage, not only in comparison with controls but also with other hemisphere-damaged groups. The contribution of the corresponding left sided area to this task is dubious, and certainly not substantial. This finding points to the independent organisation of long-term spatial memory in the right posterior cerebral cortex, an inference that was further supported by the study of two cases. The first was a female patient with right temporo-parietal softening (as suggested by clinical, EEG, and brain scan data) who showed topographical amnesia and inability to learn the visual maze over 275 trials. On an extensive battery of tests she was found free from disorders of space perception, and from verbal and visual memory impairment. The second was a patient presenting with severe global amnesia who, nevertheless, had no difficulty in route finding, and reached the criterion on the maze in 31 trials.

Full text

PDF
505

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Benton A. L., Levin H. S., Van Allen M. W. Geographic orientation in patients with unilateral cerebral disease. Neuropsychologia. 1974 Mar;12(2):183–191. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(74)90003-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. De Renzi E., Faglioni P., Scotti G. Impairment of memory for position following brain damage. Cortex. 1969 Sep;5(3):274–284. doi: 10.1016/s0010-9452(69)80035-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. De Renzi E., Faglioni P., Scotti G. Judgment of spatial orientation in patients with focal brain damage. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1971 Oct;34(5):489–495. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.34.5.489. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. De Renzi E., Faglioni P., Villa P. Sequential memory for figures in brain-damaged patients. Neuropsychologia. 1977;15(1):43–49. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(77)90113-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. De Renzi E., Nichelli P. Verbal and non-verbal short-term memory impairment following hemispheric damage. Cortex. 1975 Dec;11(4):341–354. doi: 10.1016/s0010-9452(75)80026-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. De Renzi E., Scotti G. The influence of spatial disorders in impairing tactual discrimination of shapes. Cortex. 1969 Mar;5(1):53–62. doi: 10.1016/s0010-9452(69)80007-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HECAEN H., DE AJURIAGUERRA J. Agnosie visuelle pour les objets inanimés par lésion unilatérale gauche. Rev Neurol (Paris) 1956 Mar;94(3):222–233. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hécaen H., Goldblum M. C., Masure M. C., Ramier A. M. Une nouvelle observation d'agonsie d'objet. Deficit de l'association ou de la catégorisation, spécifique de la modalité visuelle? Neuropsychologia. 1974 Oct;12(4):447–464. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(74)90075-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hécaen H., Tzortzis C., Masure M. C. Troubles de l'orientation spatiale dans une épreuve de recherche d'itinéraire lors des lésions corticales unilaterales. Perception. 1972;1(3):325–330. doi: 10.1068/p010325. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KIMURA D. Right temporal-lobe damage. Perception of unfamiliar stimuli after damage. Arch Neurol. 1963 Mar;8:264–271. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1963.00460030048004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Milner B. Interhemispheric differences in the localization of psychological processes in man. Br Med Bull. 1971 Sep;27(3):272–277. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a070866. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. PALLIS C. A. Impaired identification of faces and places with agnosia for colours; report of a case due to cerebral embolism. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1955 Aug;18(3):218–224. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.18.3.218. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ratcliff G., Newcombe F. Spatial orientation in man: effects of left, right, and bilateral posterior cerebral lesions. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1973 Jun;36(3):448–454. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.36.3.448. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Renzi E. D., Faglioni P. L'esame dei disturbi afasici di comprensione orale mediante una versione abbreviata del test dei gettoni. Riv Patol Nerv Ment. 1975 Jul-Aug;96(4):252–269. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rubens A. B., Benson D. F. Associative visual agnosia. Arch Neurol. 1971 Apr;24(4):305–316. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1971.00480340037003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Scotti G. La perdita della memoria topografica: descrizione di un caso. Sist Nerv. 1968 Sep-Oct;20(5):352–361. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Starr A., Phillips L. Verbal and motor memory in the amnestic syndrome. Neuropsychologia. 1970 Jan;8(1):75–88. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(70)90027-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES