Contents:
- Medical Video: Stroke | Nucleus Health
- What do scientists know about Bálint's syndrome?
- Why do I experience this syndrome?
- How to diagnose this syndrome?
- What are the treatments for this syndrome?
Medical Video: Stroke | Nucleus Health
Bálint's syndrome is a group of three symptoms that come together as a result of a stroke at the border of the parietal and occipital lobes of the brain. The symptoms of Bálint's syndrome are:
- Inability to see the room around
- The inability to take objects while looking at the object, due to the lack of coordination of movements in the eyes and hands
- The tendency to see only one object in terms of vision
Because Bálint's syndrome is not common and is difficult to review with standard clinical devices, research on this condition is only a case report and even this cannot be a reference because of biased selection, implementation that is not in line with operational definitions, lack of adequate basic studies, lack of translation material, and failure to distinguish between deficits in the acute and chronic phases of the recovery process.
What do scientists know about Bálint's syndrome?
Symptoms of Bálint's syndrome are found in cases of migraine sufferers aged 29 years. Before a migraine headache, patients experience an inability to see all objects in the visual field simultaneously; inability to coordinate hand and eye movements; and the inability to see an object when ordered. These symptoms do not appear before migraines, and do not appear again when the migraine has passed.
A study of patients with corticobasal ganglionic Degeneration (CBGD) also showed the development of Bálint's syndrome. As a result of CGBD, patients experience an inability to move their eyes towards visual objects in their peripheral fields. The patient also cannot reach and touch objects in his peripheral plane.
A patient with congenital deafness shows partial symptoms of Bálint syndrome. This patient experiences an inability to see concurrent events in his visual field. He also cannot focus and follow objects with his eyes. In addition, he also becomes unable to point to an object when asked. Bálint's syndrome is rarely reported in children, but several recent studies provide evidence that this condition may occur in children. Cases involving 10-year-old boys with Bálint's syndrome have been reported. Similar results were seen in 7-year-old boys. In children, the results of this syndrome are usually difficult in doing school work, especially reading. The researchers encourage more careful monitoring of this syndrome so that adequate rehabilitation is available and patients can immediately adapt to the environment.
Why do I experience this syndrome?
Visual difficulties in Bálint's syndrome are usually caused by damage to the upper part of the temporal-occipital lobe on both sides of the brain. The temporal lobe is on the side of the brain close to the ear and the occipital lobe is at the back of the brain. Therefore, the occipital lobe refers to the side and back of the brain. In Bálint's syndrome, the upper part of the parietal lobe on both sides of the brain will also be affected. The parietal lobe is the center of the brain.
How to diagnose this syndrome?
Lack of knowledge of this syndrome can cause diagnostic errors such as blindness, psychosis, or dementia. Symptoms of Bálint's syndrome are most likely to be noticed first by therapists when providing rehabilitation after brain lesions.
However, due to scarcity among practitioners in understanding Bálint's syndrome, the symptoms are often incorrectly explained without being considered a possibility and not followed by medical confirmation. Any severe disruption of space representation, which appears spontaneously after bilateral parietal damage, shows strong presence of Bálint syndrome and must be investigated. One study reported that damage to the bilateral occipito back in the parietal section appears to be included in Bálint's syndrome.
What are the treatments for this syndrome?
In terms of specific rehabilitation for visual perception disorders such as Bálint's syndrome, the available literature is very rare. According to one study, rehabilitation training should focus on improving visual scanning, developing visual guidance movements, and increasing the integration of visual elements. Very few treatment strategies have been proposed, and some of them have been criticized for being underdeveloped and must be evaluated.
The three approaches to perceptual disability rehabilitation, as seen in Bálint's syndrome, are:
- The adaptive (functional) approach involves functional tasks by utilizing one's strengths and abilities, helping them to overcome problems or change the environment to reduce their disability. This is the most popular approach.
- An improvement approach, which involves damaged CNS restoration by practicing perceptual skills, which may be commonly used in daily living activities. This can be achieved with activities on the table for sensorimotor exercises.
- A multi-context approach, based on the fact that learning is not automatically transferred from one situation to another. This involves training strategies targeted in multiple environments with varied tasks and demands of the movement, and incorporating the task of self-awareness.
