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Agraphia in Kanji after a contusional haemorrhage in the left temporo-occipital lobe
  1. S Maeshima1,
  2. A Ueyoshi1,
  3. T Matsumoto1,
  4. R Okita2,
  5. H Yamaga2,
  6. F Ozaki2,
  7. H Moriwaki2,
  8. P Roger3
  1. 1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan
  2. 2Division of Neurological Surgery, Hidaka General Hospital, Wakayama, Japan
  3. 3School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Sydney, Australia
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr S Maeshima;
 maeshima{at}wakayama-med.ac.jp

https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.72.1.126

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    The Japanese language has two different writing systems, Kana (Japanese syllabograms) and Kanji (Japanese ideograms), and Japanese sentences usually consist of combinations of both. Recently, there has been speculation that different pathways are involved in Kanji and Kana reading and writing.1 It has been suggested that the processing of Kanji and Kana involves different intrahemispheric mechanisms, as judged mainly through studies on patients with alexia and agraphia.2 Wernicke's area and its surrounding left middle temporal lobe may play the most important part in Kanji reading when visual information is transmitted by any pathway. We recently had the opportunity to examine a patient who had mild transient aphasia and persistent agraphia of Kanji after a discrete contusional haemorrhage in the left temporo-occipital lobe.

    A 66 year old right handed man (pensioner) with 12 years of school education was involved in a traffic accident and sustained a closed head injury. He was admitted to our hospital the next day. He had no history of neurological problems. His parents, brothers, and sisters are all right handed. On examination, he was alert and cooperative. Neurological examination disclosed no motor or …

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