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Limb and hemispatial hypometria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2000

KIMFORD J. MEADOR
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Section of Behavioral Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia
EUGENE E. MOORE
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Section of Behavioral Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia
ROY C. MARTIN
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Section of Behavioral Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia
DAVID W. LORING
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, Section of Behavioral Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia
DAVID C. HESS
Affiliation:
Neurology Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, Augusta, Georgia
KENNETH M. HEILMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Abstract

In a previous study, we demonstrated that unilateral cerebral lesions produce hypometric limb movements of the contralateral arm and hemispatial (i.e., directional) hypometria for movements towards contralateral hemispace. In the present study, we investigated 10 patients with right cerebral lesions and 25 healthy controls using a task to uncouple deficits in sensory perceptual systems and motor-action output systems on directional hypometria. This task required participants, with their eyes closed, to reproduce lateral and medial horizontal displacements (15–27 cm) with each arm. Each participant was seated at a waist high table and had their hand placed at an origin point aligned with the axillary fold on the same side. Their hand was moved by the investigator from the origin point to a target point and brought back to the point of origin (input displacement). The participant was then asked to return their hand to either the same target point or to an equidistant target point in the opposite direction. Healthy dextral participants were significantly more hypometric with their right arm, but patients with right cerebral lesions exhibited an opposite pattern with overall left arm hypometria. In addition, patients were significantly more hypometric for movements when output displacements were toward left hemispace. No effect was found for direction of sensory input. The results suggest that the directional hypometria is predominantly produced by hemispatial output deficits. (JINS, 2000, 6, 71–75.)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 The International Neuropsychological Society

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