Affiliations: Neuropsychology Lab., Department of Psychology, Second
University of Naples, Caserta, Italy | IDC "Hermitage Capodimonte", Naples, Italy | IDC "Villa delle Magnolie", Castelmorrone, Caserta,
Italy
Note: [] Corrisponding author: Gabriella Santangelo, Department of
Psychology, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
Tel.: +39 0823274774; E-mail: gabrysantangelo@libero.it
Abstract: We describe a patient with right hemisphere damage affected by mild
left visuo-spatial neglect and constructional apraxia. During the
rehabilitation, he failed to draw a draught-board using horizontal and vertical
trajectories, but he performed it successfully using oblique trajectories.
These observations suggested an impairment of vertical/horizontal spatial
coordinates system. In copying tasks including figure elements in different
orientations he drew more accurately components in oblique orientation, whereas
failed to reproduce components in horizontal orientation. The patient performed
visuospatial perceptual and perceptual-imaginative tasks successfully. From
these findings, it is possible to suggest that the oblique coordinate system of
reference operates independently of vertical and horizontal coordinate systems
in building a complex figure and that, therefore, cardinal orientation do not
constitute a reference norm to define oblique orientation, as previously
suggested.
