Gerstmann syndrome
Gerstmann syndrome is a neuropsychological disorder that is characterized by a constellation of symptoms that suggests the presence of a lesion in a particular area of the brain. (It should not be confused with Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome, which is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.) Destruction to the inferior parietal lobule of the dominant hemisphere results in Gerstmann's syndrome.
It is named for Josef Gerstmann.
Primary symptoms
Gerstmann syndrome is characterized by four primary symptoms:
Dysgraphia/agraphia: deficiency in the ability to write
Dyscalculia/acalculia: difficulty in learning or comprehending mathematics
Finger agnosia: inability to distinguish the fingers on the hand
Left-right disorientation
Causes
This disorder is often associated with brain lesions in the dominant (usually left) hemisphere including the angular and supramarginal gyri near the temporal and parietal lobe junction. There is significant debate in the scientific literature as to whether Gerstmann Syndrome truly represents a unified, theoretically motivated syndrome. Thus its diagnostic utility has been questioned by neurologists and neuropsychologists alike. The angular gyrus is generally involved in translating visual patterns of letter and words into meaningful information, such as is done while reading.