Pure agraphia is the selective impairment of written communication. There are two forms of visible language, consisting of reading and writing. Reading disturbances are given more importance, whilst disorders of handwriting have been comparatively neglected by both neurologists and neuropsychologists.
What is the pathology behind agraphia ?
Acquired agraphia refers to deterioration in writing performance that is not due to any primary sensory or motor dysfunction (such as blindness or paralysis). In most cases, agraphias are associated with cerebral cortex lesions, but no specific “writing centers” similar to Wernicke’s or Broca’s area for speech have been clearly recognized.
What are the Symptoms of Agraphia ?
There are two types.
- Linguistic agraphias
- Non-linguistic agraphias
a. Apraxic agraphia
b. Spatial agraphia
Linguistic agraphias are more frequent and usually go with oral language disturbances. They are basically disorders of written spelling and diagnosed by letter omissions, substitutions, additions & reversals, whilst the actual letter morphology is preserved.
Non-linguistic forms of agraphia include apraxic and spatial agraphia.
Apraxic agraphias are characterized by faulty letter formation with intact spellings. The term ‘apraxia’ refers to a disorder of motor execution and may include a breakdown in the letter morphology and sequencing of movements.
Spatial agraphias are due to visual perceptual dysfunction. Changes include slanting of the line of writing off the horizontal, widening of the left hand margin and letter repetitions.
Parkinsonism affects all voluntary movements, but handwriting appears to be particularly vulnerable, in that it is frequently the first manifestation of this disease. There is no disturbance of higher order handwriting programming such as increased spelling or stroke errors. Instead, handwriting difficulties include slowing, loss of accuracy, and diminution of letter size, the last characteristic accounting for the use of the term micrographia. Micrographia may include progressive diminution of letter size as the patient continues to write in addition to overall smallness.
How is agraphia diagnosed ?
Diagnosis of Abulia is established by handwriting analysis.
What you need to do if you think you have agraphia ?
The first step in following up on symptoms is contacting your regular primary care physician.
There is no single type of doctor that specializes in diagnosing and treating Agraphia.
In many cases, the doctor refers the patient to specialists such as a neurologist who specializes in diseases of the brain and nervous system.
What is the treatment of agraphia ?
Depending on its etiology, agraphia may be the primary clinical disturbance, as a symptom of some other disorder requiring diagnosis and management. Interventions will be needed based on the patient’s motivational and neuropsychological status.
How to find neurologists for agraphia treatment ?
Now you can find neurologists for agraphia treatment from different hospitals and destinations on a single platform, Hinfoways. You can avail opinions from multiple neurologists, get cost estimates for agraphia treatment from different hospitals, compare things and then choose a neurologist for agraphia treatment.
Find a neurologist for agraphia treatment on Hinfoways. Make an informed choice.
Disclaimer: The content provided here is meant for general informational purposes only and hence SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, care or evaluation by a qualified doctor/physician or other relevantly qualified healthcare provider.
