Agnosia as a Perceptual Disorder: A Neuroanatomical Approach and Classification
Downloads
Abstract
The human brain is a complex cognitive system that depends on the integration of various cortical and subcortical networks. Agnosia is a higher-order cognitive disorder characterized by the inability to recognize stimuli despite intact primary sensory function. This literature review aims to summarize the fundamental concepts, classification, neuroanatomy, and diagnostic approaches of agnosia. The literature search was conducted using textbooks and online databases, including PubMed and Google Scholar, with relevant keywords, covering publications from 2010 to 2025 in English and Indonesian. Classically, agnosia is divided into apperceptive and associative types and, based on sensory modality, into visual, auditory, and tactile agnosia, each associated with specific lesion locations and possible mechanisms of disconnection syndromes. Understanding the clinical–neuroanatomical correlates of agnosia is important for improving topographical diagnostic accuracy and supporting more appropriate management in clinical practice.
Keywords:
Agnosia Neuroanatomical Perceptual disorderReferences
Alossa, N., & Castelli, L. (2009). Amusia and musical functioning. European Neurology, 61(5), 269–277. https://doi.org/10.1159/000206851
Álvarez, R., & Masjuan, J. (2016). Visual agnosia. Revista Clinica Espanola, 216(2), 85–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rce.2015.07.009
Anggraini, A., Sastra, G., & Hafiz, A. (2018). Kemampuan Verbal Penderita Auditory Agnosia. Madah: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Sastra, 9(2), 179–190. https://doi.org/10.31503/madah.v9i2.66
Anilkumar, A. C., Foris, L. A., & Tadi, P. (2025). Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis. In StatPearls. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30820379
Berti, A., & Neppi-Modona, M. (2012). Agnosia (including Prosopagnosia and Anosognosia). In Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (pp. 60–67). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-375000-6.00012-4
Coslett, H. B. (2011). Sensory Agnosias. In Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4434184
Daroff, R. B., Fenichel, G. M., Jankovic, J., & Mazziotta, J. C. (2012). Neurology in clinical practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Darvesh, S., Cash, M. K., Martin, E., & Engelhardt, E. (2024). Expressive amusia and aphasia: the story of Maurice Ravel. Dementia & Neuropsychologia, 18, 20230108. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2023-0108
Farah, M. J. (2004). Visual Agnosia (Second Edi). Bembo by Graphic Composition, Inc.
Fuster, J. M. (2000). Executive frontal functions. Experimental Brain Research, 133(1), 66–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002210000401
Gainotti, G., Quaranta, D., & Luzzi, S. (2023). Apperceptive and Associative Forms of Phonagnosia. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 23(6), 327–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-023-01271-5
Gupta, M., Ireland, A. C., & Bordoni, B. (2026). Neuroanatomy, Visual Pathway (StatPearls (ed.)). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7844239
Gürvit, H., & Samancı, B. M. (2022). Disconnection Syndromes. Noro Psikiyatri Arsivi, 59(Suppl 1), 42– 49. https://doi.org/10.29399/npa.28190
Hailstone, J. C., Crutch, S. J., Vestergaard, M. D., Patterson, R. D., & Warren, J. D. (2010). Progressive associative phonagnosia: a neuropsychological analysis. Neuropsychologia, 48(4), 1104–1114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.12.011
Humphreys, G., & Riddoch, J. (2016). A Reader in Visual Agnosia. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315668444
Humphreys, G. W., & Riddoch, M. J. (2013). To See But Not To See: A Case Study Of Visual Agnosia. Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203765241
Kaufman, D. M. (2023). Kaufman’s Clinical Neurology for Psychiatrists. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2020-0-00102-7
Kubota, S., Yamada, M., Satoh, H., Satoh, A., & Tsujihata, M. (2017). Pure Amorphagnosia without Tactile Object Agnosia. Case Reports in Neurology, 9(1), 62–68. https://doi.org/10.1159/000466684
Kumar, A., & Wroten, M. (2025). Agnosia. StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2697897
Lanska, D. J. (2018). The Klüver-Bucy Syndrome. Neurologic-psychiatric syndromes in focus.
Maldonado, K. A., & Alsayouri, K. (2025). Physiology, Brain. In StatPearls. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21042938
Mendoza, J. E. (2011). Ahylognosia. In Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology (pp. 60–60). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_698
Morley, J. E., Morris, J. C., Berg-Weger, M., Borson, S., Carpenter, B. D., Del Campo, N., Dubois, B., Fargo, K., Fitten, L. J., Flaherty, J. H., Ganguli, M., Grossberg, G. T., Malmstrom, T. K., Petersen, R. D., Rodriguez, C., Saykin, A. J., Scheltens, P., Tangalos, E. G., Verghese, J., & Vellas, B. (2015). Brain health: the importance of recognizing cognitive impairment: an IAGG consensus conference. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16(9), 731–739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2015.06.017
Pitt, J., & Pitt, Y. (2021). Cognitive effects of nutraceuticals. In Nutraceuticals (pp. 41–61). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821038-3.00003-3
Rosemann, S., Brunner, F., Kastrup, A., & Fahle, M. (2017). Musical, visual and cognitive deficits after middle cerebral artery infarction. ENeurologicalSci, 6, 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ensci.2016.11.006
Saygin, A. P., Leech, R., & Dick, F. (2010). Nonverbal auditory agnosia with lesion to Wernicke’s area. Neuropsychologia, 48(1), 107–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.08.015
Stefanatos, G. A., Gershkoff, A., & Madigan, S. (2005). On pure word deafness, temporal processing, and the left hemisphere. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 11(4), 456–470. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617705050538
Stiles, J., & Jernigan, T. L. (2010). The basics of brain development. Neuropsychology Review, 20(4), 327–348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-010-9148-4
Talmasov, D., & Ropper, A. H. (2016). Tactile asymbolia. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience : Official Journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 26, 164–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2015.10.021
Vuilleumier, P. (2001). Agnosia, apraxias and callosal disconnection. In Stroke Syndrome. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511586521
Warriner, D. (2008). The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales. BMJ, 336(7635), 101 2–101. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39415.456331.0F


