PHYSIOGNOMICAL RECOGNITION OF HANDWRITING S IN DEMENTIA

In a previous paper [6] we were able to show that the attribution of f amiliar handwriting samples to specific persons is much more often dis turbed in patients suffering from damage to the right hemisphere than in patients with a damaged left hemisphere, even if marked aphasia or alexia is present. The aim of this study was to extend these findings to demented patients in order to contribute to the question whether th is visual and obviously not language-related task is impaired in demen tia and, if this is so, to what extent it depends on its severity. The assessment of 17 patients with dementias of various etiologies (11 Al zheimer's dementias, 3 vascular dementias, 1 normal pressure hydroceph alus, 1 Pick's disease, 7 unspecified) clearly showed that starting wi th dementias of medium severity (Mini-Mental Status Test less than or equal to 17, Global Deterioration Scale greater than or equal to 4) th e patients were unable to recognise the handwritten script samples of close relatives. These results are related to the familiarity aspect o f environmental re-cognition and are therefore of practical importance .