Apraxia.

Abstract

In this review, we present a summary of some of the most pertinent new research on aspects of apraxia. Rather than attempt a review of all neurologic syndromes that have been identified as forms of apraxia, such as buccofacial, truncal, apraxia of eye opening, and apraxia of speech, we focus on current literature and trends in the study of limb apraxia. Although the classic empirical approach to the study of apraxia has been through systematic neuropsychologic assessment of various aspects of the syndrome, questions remain regarding the exact neural substrate that forms the foundation of the praxis system. More recent work using sophisticated neuroimaging methods has yielded a wealth of new data that contributes significantly to our understanding of the neuroanatomic correlates of this complex disorder. In addition, the results of recent sophisticated neuropsychologic studies have suggested modifications to classic cognitive models of apraxia. A discussion of current work and directions for future research are also provided.