What is the primary brain area affected in a stroke that causes alexia without agraphia?

Study for the ABPN Exam in Psychiatry and Neurology. Use our quiz with multiple choice questions, each question includes hints and explanations. Get ready to excel in your exam!

Alexia without agraphia is a specific type of reading disorder that occurs when an individual can no longer read but can still write. This condition typically arises due to damage to the splenium of the corpus callosum, which is the posterior part of the corpus callosum that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

When there's a stroke affecting this area, the communication between the visual processing centers in the right hemisphere and the language centers in the left hemisphere becomes disrupted. This disconnection prevents the patient from being able to read text that they see, while their ability to write remains intact, since writing can still be processed in the left hemisphere.

Other areas of the brain mentioned in the options, such as the frontal cortex, cerebellum, and anterior cingulate cortex, are not primarily involved in the reading processes and thus do not specifically result in the symptoms of alexia without agraphia. Each of these regions has different roles; for example, the frontal cortex is involved in higher executive functions and motor control, the cerebellum is primarily related to coordination and balance, and the anterior cingulate cortex is often associated with emotional regulation and decision-making. Therefore, the correct identification of the splenium of the corpus

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