Illusory limb movements in anosognosia for hemiplegia

To clarify the relation between anosognosia for hemiplegia and confabulatio n, 11 patients with acute right cerebral infarctions and left upper limb he miparesis were assessed for anosognosia for hemiplegia, illusory limb movem ents (ILMs), hemispatial neglect, asomatognosia, and cognitive impairment. Five of 11 patients had unequivocal confabulation as evidenced by ILMs. The presence of ILMs was associated with the degree of anosognosia (p=0.002), with hemispatial neglect (p<0.05), and with asomatognosia (p<0.01). The res ults confirm that a strong relation exists between anosognosia for hemipleg ia and confabulations concerning the movement of the plegic limb. There is also a strong relation between ILMs and asomatognosia.