Separate visual pathways for perception of actions and objects: evidence from a case of apperceptive agnosia

• Published in: Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry Vol. 65; no. 3; pp. 382 - 385
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Carla Teixeira, Ceccaldi, Mathieu, Giusiano, Bernard, Poncet, Michel
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.09.1998; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Aged; Agnosia - diagnosis; Agnosia - physiopathology; Attention - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping; Cerebral Hemorrhage - diagnosis; Cerebral Hemorrhage - physiopathology; Dominance, Cerebral - physiology; Form Perception - physiology; frontal lobe; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Recall - physiology; Names; Neuropsychological Tests; Occipital Lobe - pathology; Occipital Lobe - physiopathology; Ophthalmology; parietal lobe; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; recognition; Response time; Short Report; Symmetry; Temporal Lobe - pathology; Temporal Lobe - physiopathology; Variance analysis; Vision disorders; Visual Pathways - pathology; Visual Pathways - physiopathology; Visual Perception - physiology; Human; Nervous system diseases; Action; Frontal lobe; Vision disorder; Visual agnosia; Clinical form; Exploration; Male; Cerebral disorder; Occipital lobe; Case study; Visual stimulus; Visual pathway; Central nervous system disease; Adult; Object; Lesion; Recognition
• ISSN: 0022-3050; 1468-330X
• DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.65.3.382

Recognition of different kinds of visual stimuli was studied in a patient who acquired apperceptive visual agnosia after a bilateral occipitotemporal lesion which partially spared the primary visual cortex. Impairment in recognising static objects perceived visually sharply contrasts with the relatively well preserved ability to recognise objects from gestures illustrating their use, and to recognise actions shown in line drawings. It is suggested that the occipitoparieto-frontal pathway is involved in the recognition of actions, and in the recognition of objects when sensorimotor experience is evoked.