Kanji-Limited Pure Alexia : A Case Report and the Problem of Variability in Pure Alexia

Abstract

A case of Kanji-limited pure alexia has been reported. Concomitantly, we have examined another five pure alexic patients, administering the same liguistic test battery in order to compare the variability of disturbances in reading ability. It is concluded that the first case reported in detail may represent a pure example of categorization or global reading deficit. We suppose our six cases of pure alexic patients may classified into three types as follows. Type I : Alexia is mild or moderate and in which letter-by-letter or analytical reading strategy might be predominant. Type II: Alexia is similarly mild or moderate but in which global reading strategy might be predominant. Type III: Degree of alexia is so severe that we could not judge the dominant reading strategy, or in other words, neither analytical nor global reading strategy could be used well.