TITLE:
Description of interhemispheric disconnection syndrome in a patient with Marchiafava-Bignami disease
AUTHORS:
Daniel Gustavo Politis, Romina Mara Tirigay, Pablo Guillermo Gómez, María Eugenia Tabernero
KEYWORDS:
Split-Brain; Marchiafava-Bignami Disease; Hemispheric Specialization; Tachioscopic Assessment; Interhemispheric Disconnection Syndrome
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Neuroscience,
Vol.3 No.3,
July
30,
2013
ABSTRACT: Interhemispheric disconnection
syndrome (IDS), described by Sperry,
Gazzaniga and Bogen, is characterized by the presence of visual and tactile
anomia, absence of interhemispheric transference of unilateral somatosensory
stimulation of both hands, hemialexia and
unilateral left-side apraxia. Subsequently, changes were also observed
in the sensory interhemispheric transfer and
in tests of crossed motor control. In Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD)
there have been descriptions of partial IDS. The aim is to describe the
dissociations in IDS that are presented in a patient with MBD, using a
specialized assessment methodology. Patient
and Method: A 54-year-old patient, righthanded, with 11 years of
schooling, presented with antecedent chronic alcoholism. Neuropsychological
tests were administered for general assessment along with specific tests of
interhemispheric transference. Results:
Borderline changes were found in visual memory, visual-constructive
abilities and attention and executive functioning. In tasks of interhemispheric
transference the patient showed changes in: the imitation of hand poses; inter-manual pressure point localization (tactile stimulation); reading aloud of words by visual hemifield; and movement control. Conclusion: Our patient showed
a wide lesion of the Corpus Callosum (CC) with relative preservation of the
splenium, accompanied by partial disconnection syndrome in the context of a
global cognitive deterioration from his chronic alcoholism.