Abstract Details

Title Teacher Interrupted: Telling the Story of a Reading Specialist with Alexia without Agraphia

Topic Behavioral Neurology

Presentation(s) P06 - (-)

Poster/Presentation
Number 076

Objective

Background BACKGROUND: Alexia without agraphia is a rare, acquired neurological syndrome that results from damage to the corpus callosum fibers connecting the parieto-occipital regions of the two hemispheres. This loss of the reading capacity reflects injury to the pathways conveying visual input from both hemispheres to the dominant angular gyrus.

Design/Methods DESIGN/METHODS: We give a narrative account of the onset of alexia without agraphia in a 39-year-old schoolteacher, emphasizing her new limitations, her adaptations to them, and her unique perspective of the disorder as a former reading specialist at a local elementary school.

Results RESULTS: MP became aware of her illness when she experienced cognitive slowing and personality changes associated with multiple ischemic strokes due to biopsy negative primary CNS angiitis. MP's major deficits were alexia without agraphia, right homonymous hemianopsia, color anomia, and mild visual object agnosia. Specifically, she had persistent difficulties with visual word and letter comprehension, while tactile pathways to letter recognition remained intact. MP is currently progressing well toward the goal of reading 3-4 simple paragraphs with good comprehension thanks to crafting her own compensatory techniques emphasizing the use of tactile letter-naming and letter-by-letter reading.

Conclusions CONCLUSIONS: As the prognosis for patients with alexia without agraphia is widely variable, an understanding of the patient's experience of these impairments is critical for prompt diagnosis and the timely development of appropriate rehabilitation strategies.

Authors/Disclosures
Jason Cuomo PRESENTER	No disclosure on file
Murray S. Flaster, MD, PhD (Lancaster General Hospital)	No disclosure on file
Jose Biller, MD, FACP, FAHA, FAAN (Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine)	Dr. Biller has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Wolters Kluwer. Dr. Biller has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care.
Krzysztof W. Selmaj (University of Warmia and Mazury)	Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Biogen. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Novartis. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Roche. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for BMS. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Astra. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Merck. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for BMS. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Astra. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Biogen. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Roche. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Novartis. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for BMS. Krzysztof W. Selmaj has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Merck.

��ɫ��

��ɫ��