Ann Rehabil Med.  2016 Oct;40(5):933-937. 10.5535/arm.2016.40.5.933.

Amusia After Right Temporoparietal Lobe Infarction: A Case Report

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. rmpyun@korea.ac.kr
  • 2Brain Convergence Research Center, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Which brain regions participate in musical processing remains controversial. During singing and listening a familiar song, it is necessary to retrieve information from the long-term memory. However, the precise mechanism involved in musical processing is unclear. Amusia is impaired perception, understanding, or production of music not attributable to disease of the peripheral auditory pathways or motor system. We report a case of a 36-year-old right-handed man who lost the ability to discriminate or reproduce rhythms after a right temporoparietal lobe infarction. We diagnosed him as an amusic patient using the online version of Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA). This case report suggests that amusia could appear after right temporoparietal lobe infarction. Further research is needed to elucidate the dynamic musical processing mechanism and its associated neural structures.

Keyword

Cerebral infarction; Auditory perception; Music

MeSH Terms

Adult
Auditory Pathways
Auditory Perception
Brain
Cerebral Infarction
Humans
Infarction*
Memory, Long-Term
Music
Singing

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Brain magnetic resonance imaging in T2 FLAIR image (axial view, A) and T1-weighted image (sagittal view, B) showing gyral edema and high signal intensity on right temporoparietal lobe, including superior temporal gyrus, sulcus, and inferior parietal lobule.

  • Fig. 2 Summary of results of cognitive function test: (A) attention and working memory, (B) memory and learning test, and (C) executive function and intelligence. Abnormal values are indicated with asterisk. CPT, continuous performance test; RCFT, Rey complex figure test; CPM, colored progressive matrices.


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