SCHOOL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TERMS
CHAPTER 10 SENSORIMOTOR FUNCTIONS
Terms associated with sensori impairments
- Achromatopsia. A rare disorder in which color is not recognized.
- Ageusia. Loss of the sense of taste.
- Anosmia. Impaired sense of smell.
- Asterognosia. Inability to recognize an object on the basis of its three-dimensionality through
palpation (a.k.a., tactile agnosia/dysnosia).
- Auditory agnosia. Inability to recognize auditory stimuli.
- Autotopagnosia. Disturbed body scheme that manifests itself by the inability to identify the
parts of one’s body.
- Barognosia. Inability to estimate weight when objects are placed in the affected hand.
- Finger agnosia. Inability to recognize a sensory stimulus via the fingers.
- Graphestheia. Difficulty recognizing shapes or letters written on the hand.
- Hemianopia. A loss of vision for one-half of the visual field of either one or both eyes.
- Hypesthesia. Diminished capacity for physical sensation.
- Kinesthesia. The conscious awareness of joint position and body movement in space.
- Pallinopsia. Visual perseveration of a stimulus no longer present.
- Parosmia. An abnormal sense of smell.
- Proprioception. The unconscious awareness of sensations coming from one’s muscles and
joints that helps regulate our position in three-dimensional space.
- Tactile defensiveness. The tendency to react negatively to unexpected, light touches.
- Tactile localization disorder. The inability to localize a stimulus on the skin.
- Two-point discrimination disorder. The inability to discriminate between sensations arising
from a single touch versus two simultaneous and nearby touches.
- Visual agnosia. Inability to recognize visual stimuli (e.g., signs or pictures).
Terms associated with motor impairments
- Apraxia. Inability to plan and execute a learned voluntary movement smoothly not due to
muscle weakness or failure to understand directions.
- Asterixis. A motor disturbance characterized by a rapid, sporadic limb contraction followed
by a slower return to extension.
- Ataxia. Incoordination of movement, usually due to disease of sensory or cerebellar
pathways.
- Chorea. Involuntary performance of fragments of movement, e.g., suddenly raise arm, flex,
extend, abduct, adduct, fragments of purposeful movement (usually associated with
degeneration of the basal ganglia).
- Clonus. Rapid repetitive alternating muscle contraction and relaxation.
- Constructional apraxia. Inability to assemble, build, draw, or copy accurately, not due to
apraxia of simple movements.
- Diplegia. A form of cerebral palsy primarily affecting the legs.
- Dysphagia. An impaired ability to chew or swallow food or liquid.
- Dystonia. Characterized by involuntary muscle contractions, which force certain parts of the
body into abnormal, sometimes painful, movements or postures.
CHAPTER 10 SENSORIMOTOR FUNCTIONS
Terms associated with sensori impairments
- Achromatopsia. A rare disorder in which color is not recognized.
- Ageusia. Loss of the sense of taste.
- Anosmia. Impaired sense of smell.
- Asterognosia. Inability to recognize an object on the basis of its three-dimensionality through
palpation (a.k.a., tactile agnosia/dysnosia).
- Auditory agnosia. Inability to recognize auditory stimuli.
- Autotopagnosia. Disturbed body scheme that manifests itself by the inability to identify the
parts of one’s body.
- Barognosia. Inability to estimate weight when objects are placed in the affected hand.
- Finger agnosia. Inability to recognize a sensory stimulus via the fingers.
- Graphestheia. Difficulty recognizing shapes or letters written on the hand.
- Hemianopia. A loss of vision for one-half of the visual field of either one or both eyes.
- Hypesthesia. Diminished capacity for physical sensation.
- Kinesthesia. The conscious awareness of joint position and body movement in space.
- Pallinopsia. Visual perseveration of a stimulus no longer present.
- Parosmia. An abnormal sense of smell.
- Proprioception. The unconscious awareness of sensations coming from one’s muscles and
joints that helps regulate our position in three-dimensional space.
- Tactile defensiveness. The tendency to react negatively to unexpected, light touches.
- Tactile localization disorder. The inability to localize a stimulus on the skin.
- Two-point discrimination disorder. The inability to discriminate between sensations arising
from a single touch versus two simultaneous and nearby touches.
- Visual agnosia. Inability to recognize visual stimuli (e.g., signs or pictures).
Terms associated with motor impairments
- Apraxia. Inability to plan and execute a learned voluntary movement smoothly not due to
muscle weakness or failure to understand directions.
- Asterixis. A motor disturbance characterized by a rapid, sporadic limb contraction followed
by a slower return to extension.
- Ataxia. Incoordination of movement, usually due to disease of sensory or cerebellar
pathways.
- Chorea. Involuntary performance of fragments of movement, e.g., suddenly raise arm, flex,
extend, abduct, adduct, fragments of purposeful movement (usually associated with
degeneration of the basal ganglia).
- Clonus. Rapid repetitive alternating muscle contraction and relaxation.
- Constructional apraxia. Inability to assemble, build, draw, or copy accurately, not due to
apraxia of simple movements.
- Diplegia. A form of cerebral palsy primarily affecting the legs.
- Dysphagia. An impaired ability to chew or swallow food or liquid.
- Dystonia. Characterized by involuntary muscle contractions, which force certain parts of the
body into abnormal, sometimes painful, movements or postures.
