Gerstmann's Syndrome

Multiple Choice Questions in Neurology:

Characteristic feature(s) of Gerstmann's syndrome:
  1. Alexia
  2. Acalculia
  3. Anomia
  4. Right and left confusion
  5. Finger anomia
  6. Dyscalculia

Alexia

  • Difficulty in reading or understanding the written words

Acalculia / Dyscalculia

  • Acquired disorder of calculation abilities
  • Inability to perform known arithmetic functions

Anomia

  • Difficulty in word finding
  • Impairment of retrieving known words
  • Intact comprehension
  • Intact word repetition

Agnosia

  • Inability to retrieve known sensory information
  • Auditory agnosia: inability to recognize or differentiate between sounds
  • Visual agnosia: inability to recognize objects
  • Finger agnosia: inability to name, distinguish or recognize the own or others fingers

Prosopagnosia

  • Facial agnosia
  • Inability to recognize known or familiar faces

Simultanagnosia

  • Disorder of visual attention
  • Ability to visualize a single object of a whole scene
  • Unable to visualize more than a single object at a time
  • Unable to visualize the overall meaning of the scene

Gerstmann's Syndrome

Gerstmann Tetrad: Dysfunctions of 4 Learned Cognitive Abilities

1. Agraphia / Dysgraphia

  • Inability to express thoughts in writing

2. Acalculia / Dyscalculia

  • Inability to perform simple arithmetic problems

3. Finger Agnosia

  • Inability to name, distinguish or recognize own or another's fingers

4. Right & left disorientation

  • Inability to distinguish between the right and left sides of one's body

Mnemonics (Imaginary)

Think opposite of normal!
This is a very important topic for entrance examinations. So, I tried to give some imaginary mnemonics to recall the tetrads of Gerstmann's syndrome. If you don't like it, please ignore it.

A man went to the bank to withdraw the money. He signed (write) a cheque and gave it to the cashier. The cashier counted (calculation) the money through fingers (finger). The cashier gave money to the man on right hand (right and left hand).

Opposite Thinking: Man & Cashier both were drunk!

  1. The man was unable to write on cheque: Agraphia / Dysgraphia
  2. The cashier was unable to calculate money: Acalculia / Dyscalculia
  3. The cashier was unable to use fingers to count the money: Finger Agnosia
  4. The cashier was confused about right & left hand of man: Right & left disorientation

Reference(s):

  • Lebrun, Yvan. “Gerstmann’s Syndrome.” Journal of Neurolinguistics, vol. 18, no. 4, 2005, pp. 317–26, doi:10.1016/j.jneuroling.2004.11.010.
  • Benton, A. L. “Gerstmann’s Syndrome.” Archives of Neurology, vol. 49, no. 5, May 1992, pp. 445–47, doi:10.1001/archneur.1992.00530290027007.
  • Roeltgen, D. P., et al. “Pure Gerstmann’s Syndrome From a Focal Lesion.” Archives of Neurology, vol. 40, no. 1, Jan. 1983, pp. 46–47, doi:10.1001/archneur.1983.04050010066019.

[Answers are: 2. Acalculia, 4. Right and left confusion, 5. Finger anomia, 6. Dyscalculia]

Multiple Choice Questions in Neurology:

All are features of Gerstmann’s syndrome, except:
  1. Finger agnosia
  2. Acalculia
  3. Right and left disorientation
  4. Alexia

Kindly let me know your answer and review by comments below:

Location: India

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