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Differential effects of Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease on the performance of mental rotation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2005

TARA T. LINEWEAVER ,
DAVID P. SALMON ,
MARK W. BONDI  and
JODY COREY-BLOOM
TARA T. LINEWEAVER
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana
DAVID P. SALMON
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego
MARK W. BONDI
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego Psychology Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System
JODY COREY-BLOOM
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego Neurology Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System
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Abstract

The ability to spatially rotate a mental image was compared in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 18) and patients with Huntington's disease (HD; n = 18). Compared to their respective age-matched normal control (NC) group, the speed, but not the accuracy, of mental rotation abnormally decreased with increasing angle of orientation for patients with HD. In contrast, the accuracy, but not the speed, of rotation abnormally decreased with increasing angle of orientation for patients with AD. Additional analyses showed that these unique patterns of performance were not attributable to different speed/accuracy trade-off sensitivities. This double dissociation suggests that the distinct brain regions affected in the two diseases differentially contribute to speed and accuracy of mental rotation. Specifically, the slowing exhibited by HD patients may be mediated by damage to the basal ganglia, whereas the spatial manipulation deficit of AD patients may reflect pathology in parietal and temporal lobe association cortices important for visuospatial processing. (JINS, 2005, 11, 30–39.)

Keywords

Mental rotationParietal lobeBasal gangliaAlzheimer'sHuntington's
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , January 2005 , pp. 30 - 39
Copyright
© 2005 The International Neuropsychological Society

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