Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Review

Lesion localization of non-aphasic alexia and agraphia

Yasuhisa Sakurai, M.D., Ph.D.

Department of Neurology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital

The author reviews the lesion localization of non-aphasic alexia and agraphia and proposes a new classification of alexia and agraphia on this basis. The newly proposed alexia and agraphia are pure alexia for kana (Japanese phonograms), or more generally pure alexia for letters, caused by a lesion in the posterior occipital area (posterior fusiform/inferior occipital gyri), and pure agraphia for kanji (Japanese morphograms) caused by a lesion in the posterior middle temporal gyrus and also a lesion restricted to the angular gyrus. In addition, the anatomical lesions presumably responsible for the parietal apraxic agraphia, frontal pure agraphia and thalamic agraphia are discussed.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (481K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 51: 567|575, 2011)
key words: pure alexia, alexia with agraphia, pure agraphia, fusiform gyrus, angular gyrus

(Received: 24-May-11)