G.V. TIKHOMIROV, V.N. GRIGORYEVA

Volga region Research Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Nizhniy Novgorod

 Contact details:

Tikhomirov G.V. — post-graduate student of the Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Medical Genetics

Address: 10/1 Minin i Pozharskiy Square, Nizhniy Novgorod, Russian Federation, 603005, tel.: +7-953-573-37-26, e-mail: tihomirov.georgij@gmail.com

Visual gnosis of complex shapes is one of the cardinal cognitive functions. However, pathology of this process under ischemic stroke remains not studied enough.

The purpose of this article is to estimate the frequency of the pathologically unselective access to the semantic information about visual forms and its association with lesion location in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Material and methods. We examined 33 patients with acute hemispheric ischemic stroke. Routine neurological, neuropsychological and laboratory investigations were supplemented by brain imaging in each patient. Birgmingham object recognition battery subtest «Object Decision A:HARD» was applied in order to reveal pathology of an access to stored semantic information about object forms, while the information is preserved. Also, we used Frontal Assessment Battery to evaluate regulatory functions in patients.

Results. Unselective access to the stored information about the visual forms was documented in more than 40% of patients with acute hemispheric stroke. Corresponding visual associative form agnosia in 17,5% patients was primary and explained by visual processing dysfunction, while in 82,5% of patients agnosia was secondary to the executive dysfunction. The primary visual form agnosia was statistically associated with temporooccipital brain lesions, while the secondary one was associated with the frontal lobe damage and lesions in the subcortical grey matter. Patient age had a moderate negative impact on the results of Birgmingham object recognition battery subtest «Object Decision A:HARD».

Key words: visual gnosis, associative visual form agnosia, ischemic stroke, Birmingham object recognition battery. 

(For citation: Tikhomirov G.V., Grigoryeva V.N. Visual object agnosia for complex shapes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Practical Medicine. 2019. Vol. 17, № 7, P. 107-110)

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