PMC3635690_01
Formal language assessment was undertaken using the SLTA.
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F1
Formal language assessment was undertaken 3 days after stroke onset using the Standard Language Test for Aphasia (SLTA; fig. 1). At 6 weeks after stroke onset, his writing deficit remained despite improvement in other language abilities (fig. 1).
a A head CT scan at stroke onset revealed a hematoma expanding from inside the posterior left thalamus. b SPECT performed around the same time showed decreased blood flow in the left thalamus, in the left cortex extending from the superior temporal gyrus to the parietal lobe, and in the frontal lobe.
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F2
A head computed tomography (CT) scan at stroke onset revealed a thalamic hemorrhage in the left lateral and posterior thalamus with slight extension to the posterior limb of the internal capsule (fig. 2a). Single-photon emission CT (SPECT) performed around the same time showed decreased blood flow in the left thalamus, in the left cortex extending from the superior temporal gyrus to the parietal lobe, and in the frontal lobe (fig. 2b).
Most errors were incorrect responses to word dictation, termed paragraphia. The patient could transcribe characters and generally wrote the characters in the correct stroke order, but he often substituted one character for another with a similar shape or sound, perseverated, and wrote characters with 180  rotation (mirror script).
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F3
He could transcribe characters and generally wrote the characters in the correct stroke order, but he often substituted one character for another with a similar shape or sound, perseverated, and wrote characters with 180  rotation (mirror script) (fig. 3).