language and visuospatial deficits

Last edited 05/2022 and last reviewed 05/2022

Language and visuospatial defects appear as Alzheimer's disease progresses:

  • language deficits:
    • appear initially and may mask cognitive impairment
    • speech is often empty of meaning and they may have some difficulty finding words
    • occasionally patients may be aphasic
  • visuospatial deficits:
    • there may be an impairment of topographical memory and patients may become disoriented and get lost easily
    • they may have problems with dressing - dressing dyspraxia
    • occasionally patients may have a more focal onset of disease involving a breakdown of visual processing resulting in agnosias or rarely, Balint's syndrome.

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