Cerebral hemiatrophy is a rare neurological condition, usually resulting in severe and diffuse cognitive impairment. In this paper we present a 69-year old woman with notable congenital hemiatrophy with strikingly preserved cognitive functions. Cognitive assessment indicated that although her executive functions were found impaired, the remaining cognitive domains were relatively unaffected. We argue that this unexpected cognitive profile may be explained by anomalous hemispheric lateralization, driven by neuroplasticity along the developmental course.
Keywords: Dyke-Davidoff-Masson Syndrome; abilities; cerebral hemiatrophy; cognitive impairment; executive functions; right hemisphere; visuospatial.
© 2022 The British Psychological Society.