Disorders of Space Exploration and Cognition

Abstract

This synthesis of basic research on hemispheric specialization in spatial ability and clinical studies of spatial disorders is most informative and readable. As a neurologist who has contributed immensely to the literature on spatial disorders, De Renzi provides the reader with a broad perspective. He critically evaluates the implications and clinical relevance of experiments on spatial perception in normal subjects while assessing the methodologic problems in clinical studies of spatial disorders. The first three chapters provide an introduction and summary of research on normal spatial functioning. Chapter 1 describes early case reports of disorders of spatial ability and summarizes later contributions by Balint, Holmes, and Kleist. Chapter 2 provides a lucid review of the ontogeny of spatial perception (subdivided according to sensory modality) and the evidence for anatomic asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres at birth. Chapter 3 reviews the tachistoscopic literature indicating more consistent visual field asymmetry in visuoperceptive performance