Skip to main content
Log in

Acalculia in a patient with severe language disturbances: how do we test it?

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Published:
Cognitive Processing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present paper describes a case of a patient with severe Wernicke aphasia, which when tested with a number processing and calculation battery adapted to his difficulties showed remarkable arithmetic skills. These findings suggest that the patients with severe cognitive impairments (e.g., aphasia, apraxia) should be tested with batteries adapted to their disturbances because using a standard test may bias the results.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

References

  • Basso A, Burgio F, Caporali A (2000) Acalculia, aphasia and spatial disorders in left and right brain damaged patients. Cortex 36:265–280

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Basso A, Caporali A, Faglioni P (2005) Spontaneous recovery of acalculia. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 11:99–107

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cappelletti M, Butterworth B, Kopelman M (2001) Spared numerical abilities in a case of semantic dementia. Neuropsychologia 39:1224–1239

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen L, Dehaene S, Chochon F, Lehericy S, Naccache L (2000) Language and calculation within the parietal lobe: a combined cognitive, anatomical and f-MRI study. Neuropsychologia 38:1426–1440

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dehaene S (1992) Varieties of numerical abilities. Cognition 44:1–42

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dehaene S, Cohen L (1995) Towards an anatomical and functional model of number processing. Math Cogn 1:83–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Dehaene S, Cohen L (1997) Cerebral pathways for calculation: double dissociations between rote verbal and quantitative knowledge of arithmetic. Cortex 33:219–250

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dehaene S, Piazza M, Pinel P, Cohen L (2003) Three parietal circuits for number processing. Cogn Neuropsychol 20:487–506

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delazer M, Girelli L, Semenza C, Denes G (1999) Numerical skills and aphasia. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 5:213–221

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delazer M, Girelli L, Grana A, Domahs F (2003) Number processing and calculation—normative data from healthy adults. Clin Neuropsychol 17(3):331–350

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deloche G, Seron X, Larroque C et al (1994) Calculation and number processing assessment battery: role of demographic factors. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 16:195–208

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rossor MN, Warrington EK, Cipolotti L (1995) The isolation of calculation skills. J Neurol 242:78–81

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sandrini M, Miozzo A, Cotelli M, Cappa S (2003) The residual calculation abilities of a patient with severe aphasia: evidence for a selective deficit of subtraction procedures. Cortex 39:85–96

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Semenza C, Delazer M, Bertella L et al (2006) Is math lateralized on the same side as language? Right hemisphere aphasia and mathematical abilities. Neurosci Lett 406(3):285–288

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Varley RM, Klessinger NJC, Romanowski CAJ, Siegal M (2005) Agrammatic but numerate. PNAS 102(9):3519–3524

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The family gave its informed consent on behalf of the patient to participate in the study. A first version of this case study has been reported as a poster at the 40th International Danube Symposium in conjunction with The 6th Congress of the Romanian Society of Neurology 2008.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena Cecilia Rosca.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rosca, E.C. Acalculia in a patient with severe language disturbances: how do we test it?. Cogn Process 11, 371–374 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-010-0359-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-010-0359-7

Keywords

Navigation