Visuospatial problem and visuoconstructive disorder
Visuospatial and visuoconstructive abilities are two important cognitive functions for complex visual-spatial tasks and planning. Brain injury may damage these abilities.
Visuospatial ability is about the ability to process visual information in relation to space. This means recognizing objects, seeing and understanding spatial relationships between objects, such as estimating distances, recognizing patterns, and orienting and navigating in space.
Visuoconstructive ability goes a step further and focuses on the ability to use complex visual and spatial information to create or reproduce something, such as drawing a figure, building a model, or solving puzzles. These skills play a crucial role in everyday life, from navigating a city to performing practical tasks.
Visuoconstructive disorder after brain injury
A visuoconstructive problem is a common consequence of brain injury, such as a stroke, trauma or a neurological disorder. This problem means that a person has difficulty perceiving, understanding or reproducing visual information, such as drawing an object, dimensional figures, recreating a construction or estimating distances and spatial relationships.
A synonym is constructional apraxia.
An apraxia is the inability to perform everyday activities purposefully, while an instruction to do so is understood.
Tasks that were previously self-evident, such as putting together a puzzle or following a route, can become challenging as a result.
Rehabilitation, such as cognitive therapy, physical therapy or occupational therapy, can help improve visuoconstructive skills and find practical solutions to facilitate everyday tasks.
Can you draw a cube?
Drawing a cube or another spatial figure is almost impossible for someone with a visuoconstructive disorder or constructional apraxia.
This is not caused by a disturbance in intellectual capacity.
Visuospatial Neglect
Visuospatial neglect, also called spatial neglect or hemispatial neglect, is a neurological condition in which a person appears to 'ignore' part of his or her visual or spatial perception. There is no "attention" perception for the affected side and the space around it. This side is not perceived, not felt and not seen.
This often occurs after brain damage, such as a stroke, and usually affects one side of the visual field, often the left side.
A synonym is hemispatial neglect.
For example, people with visuospatial neglect may forget to finish the left side of their plate or bump into objects that are on that side. It is important to recognize this condition early, so that therapies such as occupational therapy or visual training can be used to reduce the symptoms and improve daily functioning.
Read more about this consequence on our special page about neglect.
Difficulty Judging Distances After Brain Injury
Judging distances can become a challenge after a brain injury. This is because brain injury can affect the visual or cognitive functions needed to perceive depth and distance.
People often experience confusion or uncertainty during daily activities, such as climbing stairs, driving a car or even simple actions such as picking something up.
Fortunately, there are treatments and aids available to help with this. These include visual rehabilitation, therapy aimed at spatial awareness and practical adjustments to the environment.
Brain areas involved
The visuospatial and visuoconstructive ability is mainly regulated by different brain areas in the right hemisphere.
The visuoconstructive problems often arise because specific brain areas, such as the parietal lobe or the occipital lobe, are damaged.
The parietal lobe plays a crucial role here, especially the posterior part, which is involved in spatial orientation and the recognition of object locations.
In addition, the occipital lobe plays an important role in the primary processing of visual input.
The temporal lobe also helps with the recognition of shapes and objects, and in particular the connections between the occipito-temporal areas, the connections between the occipital lobe and the temporal lobe.
Cooperation with the the frontal lobe, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is essential for complex visual-spatial tasks and planning. These brain areas work closely together to enable us to visually understand and interact with the world around us.
More information:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18631702/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6892765/