Gestural buffer impairment in early onset Corticobasal Degeneration: a single-case study

Abstract

We investigated limb apraxia in a case of a clinically diagnosed Corticobasal Degeneration with early onset (48 years) in a right handed woman. We used a new battery for the assessment of limb apraxia, based on a cognitive model of praxis. This cognitive model predicts five clinical pictures of limb apraxia: scores reported suggested that apraxia of the patients could be described as an impairment of the gestural buffer, that affects all execution tasks and preserves the ability to perform judgement and categorization tasks. This empirical evidence is in the same direction of other studies supporting that production of actions can be impaired while recognition of actions is spared, and recognition of actions can be impaired while production of actions is spared. This case finding and previously reported studies are consistent with models of praxis that draw a functional distinction between representations that underlie perception and representations that underlie production of actions.

Keywords

• Corticobasal Degeneration
• Limb Apraxia
• Praxis
• Gestural Buffer
• Executive Functions
• Semantic System