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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 2652–2654Cite as

Visual-Spatial Ability

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Synonyms

Spatial processing; Visuospatial ability

Definition

Visuospatial ability is a component of visual perception that enables processing of the visual orientation or location of objects in space. The visuospatial or “where” system is functionally and neuroanatomically distinct from the visuoperceptual “what” system. Visuospatial information is processed by a “dorsal stream” occipito-parietal pathway, while a “ventral stream” occipito-temporal processes visuoperceptual information (Ungerleider & Mishkin, 1982). Specifically, the visuoperceptual system gets input from “type M” retinal ganglion cells which project to the ventral layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus followed by superior occipital and parietal projections. Impairments in visuospatial abilities can result in deficits in visuospatial judgment, visual neglect, topographic disorientation, and Balint’s syndrome (Capruso, Hamsher, & Benton, 2006).

Historical Background

Dr. Arthur Benton credits an early case report by...

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References and Readings

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce street, 10 Gates, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Farzin Irani

Authors
  1. Farzin Irani
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Professor of Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry Virginia Commonwealth University – Medical Center Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, VCU, 980542, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0542, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation Research Center, 1199 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, 07052, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Neurology and Neuroscience, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey Medical School, New Jersey, USA

    John DeLuca

  4. Independent Practice, 564 M.O.B. East, 100 E. Lancaster Ave., Wynnewood, PA, 19096, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Irani, F. (2011). Visual-Spatial Ability. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1418

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