In today's article we will talk about such an unpleasant phenomenon as agnosia. This condition is characterized by the fact that during its development against the background of damage to the cerebral cortex in a person, various types of perception are violated. As a rule, agnosia is a pathology that appears against the background of chronic diseases (problems with the blood circulation of the brain, poisoning). In addition, it causes damage to the secondary parts of the cerebral cortex, which are part of the analyzer system of the cortical level.
Causes of occurrence
As already mentioned, agnosia affects the parietal and occipital lobe of the human head. This may be due to the following reasons:
- Acute circulatory problems in the brain (stroke).
- When tumors appear.
- Due to a traumatic brain injury that could have occurred due to several reasons (accident, fall from a great height, impact).
- Disorders of blood flow in the brain, which later leads to dementia, which can both manifest as tearfulness and cause certain difficulties in mastering new skills, orienting in various everyday situations andcontribute to memory lapses.
- Due to the development of brain inflammation (encephalitis).
- Due to Parkinson's disease, which is characterized by progressive muscle stiffness, tremors and a neuropsychological disorder.
In addition, it should be borne in mind that agnosia is a phenomenon that occurs suddenly. Therefore, you should be as attentive as possible to the state of your he alth and undergo regular medical examinations in a timely manner.
Symptomatics
The most common symptoms include:
- Difficulties associated with orientation on the ground.
- Denial of the presence of diseases or defects associated with a sharp deterioration in vision, the appearance of weakness in the limbs, despite their acute manifestation.
- Indifference to the presence of various defects listed above.
- Problems related to tactile detection of objects and their textures.
- Disorders related to the definition of sound. As a rule, such a human condition is classified as auditory agnosia, in which the patient cannot not only clearly determine the nature of the sound, but also indicate the place where it sounds from.
- Problems with the perception of your body.
- Inability to recognize intricate visual patterns. Although a person retains the ability to fix some elements, but at the same time he is not able to connect them together. For example, looking at the festive table, he can recognize glasses, jugs, plates of food,but the reason for their appearance will remain a mystery to him. This condition is classified as visual agnosia.
- Taking into account only visible space. As an example, a situation can be cited here when a patient, while eating, eats only on the right side of the plate, or when opening the door, he touches the door jamb with his left shoulder, because he does not see the interference on the left.
A little about agnosia: types
Like every pathology, agnosia also has its own characteristics of the course, taking into account which, it is possible to prescribe an effective treatment regimen. That is why, before starting therapy, you need to know not only what this disorder is, but also its characteristic features.
Today, there are several forms of this condition:
- Tactile agnosia.
- Visual.
- Auditory.
Visual
As a rule, this type appears when there is a violation in the secondary part of the occipital cortex. It can be expressed as follows:
- In the absence of recognition of previously known objects, it is also called object agnosia. For example, a person finds it difficult to answer the question "what is it?" when looking at a phone or a book. But if you tell him what this item is called, then he will be able to say what it is intended for. In addition, as practice shows, object agnosia can have several degrees of severity - from the maximum (problems with recognizing realobjects) to minimal (difficulty in recognizing the contour image).
- Facial agnosia, which is manifested by impaired recognition of the faces of relatives or friends. But at the same time, the patient can indicate both the age and gender of the person without any problems.
- Color agnosia, which is expressed by the fact that the patient cannot say exactly what color he sees at the moment in front of him. For example, if you ask a patient to look at a green leaf on a tree and say what color it is, you may not get an answer. But if you ask what it should be like, a person will answer this question without any problems.
- Simultaneous, or, as it is also called, simultagnosive agnosia, which is characterized by a violation in recognizing a fairly complex visual image, and this despite the fact that the very ability to recognize individual elements remains in perfect order.
Also, visual agnosia quite often manifests itself in a situation where a person is reading a book, but, despite all his desire, cannot remember some letters or a single word. This leads to certain difficulties during reading, but in no way affects the letter, since when asked to reproduce a letter that eludes him on a sheet of paper or type it on the keyboard, the patient does this without any problems.
Auditory
As a rule, auditory agnosia manifests itself when the cortical field of the temporal lobe is affected. So, if the temporal lobe of the hemisphere located on the left is damaged, this condition canexpressed as a disorder of phonemic hearing (difficulties with distinguishing speech sounds, which in the future can lead to a speech disorder). With a damaged lobe of the hemisphere, which is located on the right, the sick person loses the ability to distinguish previously familiar musical sounds.
Tactile
Tactile agnosia develops when the secondary cortical field of the parietal part or hemisphere located on the right side is damaged. Its distinguishing feature is problems with the identification of objects by touch or in a disorder associated with the recognition of one's own body parts. As practice shows, this type can be divided into 2 categories. The first can be attributed to everything that is associated with skin receptors, and the second - with muscle and joint.
Diagnosis
Having found similar symptoms in your friend or loved one, in order not to guess whether it is agnosia or not, it is best to carry out certain diagnostic measures. In addition, do not forget that the diagnosis is only half the battle. Therefore, it is imperative to contact an experienced specialist who will analyze the patient's complaints, take into account the history of the disease (prescription of the disease, signs, causes that led to the occurrence of this condition). In addition, it is important to take into account the rate of progression of pathology. After this, it may be necessary to conduct an assessment of mental functions and look for other possible neurological disorders. Their necessity is connected with the fact that agnosia is a condition that isturn is associated with a disorder of perception. If necessary, an interview with a neuropsychologist can be scheduled, during which you will probably need to perform several procedures (fill out a questionnaire, answer various questions).
One should not rule out the value of such types of research as MRI and computed tomography, which can not only help in the layer-by-layer study of the structure of the brain, but also determine the possible cause of agnosia.
Treatment
As a general rule, once treatment is started, agnosia may improve slightly. But only after the elimination of the underlying disease can we talk about effective and efficient therapy in general.
The treatment process itself may include the elimination of a brain tumor, control of blood pressure, sessions with a psychologist and the use of drugs that improve the state of neuropsychic functions.
The most important thing is not to self-medicate like most people do. As practice shows, diagnostics carried out at the wrong time and, as a result, therapy started late can no longer 100% get rid of the manifestations of this pathology. In general, statistics show that if treatment is started on time, agnosia can almost completely disappear.
Prevention
To date, there are no special preventive measures that could prevent the development of agnosia. General recommendations include:
- Quit alcohol and smoking.
- Keeping a he althy lifestylelife.
- Continuous monitoring of blood pressure.
- Timely visit a doctor at the slightest symptoms of the development of this condition.
