Lack of orientation due to a congenital brain malformation: A case study

Abstract

Topographical disorientation is usually described in patients who have lost the ability to orient themselves as a consequence of acquired focal brain damage. Here, we describe the case of a 20-year-old woman with a congenital brain malformation who has never been able to orient herself within the environment. We addressed in detail her ability to orient and navigate within the environment by administering a number of tasks in both ecological and experimental surroundings. The results indicate a complete inability to use any kind of strategy useful for orientation.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank MGC for her long-standing collaboration with testing, and Professor Luigi Pizzamiglio, Kate Watkins and Ysbrand Van der Werf for helpful comments on a previous version of this manuscript. This study was supported by MIUR (Cofin 2005), Ateneo and Ministero della Salute (RC 2004) and European Community FPS-Strep-Wayfinding-N. 012959.