Utilization behavior: Clinical and theoretical approaches

• Published in: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 453 - 462
• Main Authors: BESNARD, J., ALLAIN, P., AUBIN, G., OSIURAK, F., CHAUVIRÉ, V., ETCHARRY-BOUYX, F., LE GALL, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.05.2010; Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Behavior; Brain damage; Cognition & reasoning; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - physiopathology; Cognitive ability; Dysexecutive syndrome; Environmental dependency; Executive functions; Female; Frontal Lobe - pathology; Frontal Lobe - physiopathology; Frontal lobe lesions; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Inhibitory control; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Patients; Psychological Theory; Psychology; Severity of Illness Index; Simulation; Touch; Utilization behavior; Visual Perception; Young Adult; Executive functions; Dysexecutive syndrome; Inhibitory control; Environmental dependency; Frontal lobe lesions; Utilization behavior; Utilization behaviour
• ISSN: 1355-6177; 1469-7661
• DOI: 10.1017/S1355617709991469

Lhermitte (1983) coined the term “utilization behavior” (UB) to define a neurobehavioral syndrome in which the visuo-tactile presentation of objects compels patients to grasp and use them, despite the fact that they have not been instructed to do so. The author suggested that UB was the consequence of frontal lobe damage. Thereafter, Shallice, Burgess, Schon, and Baxter (1989) questioned Lhermitte’s (1983) procedure for eliciting UB, putting forward an alternative research methodology that led to differentiate two forms of UB: “induced” and “incidental.” To date, there has been no direct comparison between these two procedures, nor have any other methodologies been used to explore this clinical sign, which is related to fundamental concepts such as free will and human autonomy. We investigated UB in 70 subjects (25 patients with frontal lobe lesions, 10 patients with posterior brain damage and 35 control subjects) using the methodologies of Lhermitte (1983) and Shallice et al. (1989), as well as an original “verbal generation” procedure. Our results show that the verbal generation procedure reveals UB efficiently and that elicitation of this sign appears to be directly linked to the content of the task. We discuss the interpretation of UB in terms of an executive control deficit. (JINS, 2010, 16, 453–462.)