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Assessing Developmental Gerstmann’s Syndrome in an adult: a case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2025

Jessica L. Mow Open the ORCID record for Jessica L. Mow [Opens in a new window]  and
Rosemary Toomey
Jessica L. Mow
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, USA
Rosemary Toomey*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, USA
*
Corresponding author: Rosemary Toomey; Email: toomey@bu.edu
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Abstract

Objective:

Developmental Gerstmann’s Syndrome (DGS) is a proposed neurological disorder characterized by finger agnosia, acalculia, right-left disorientation, agraphia, and in some cases, constructional dyspraxia. Case studies of DGS are limited, particularly those reporting on assessments in adults. The present case study demonstrates the presence of DGS symptoms in a young female adult with an autoimmune disorder but no clear history of neurological damage.

Method:

This client sought academic accommodations for her undergraduate math classes. She was administered a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, during which she demonstrated difficulties with mathematical concepts, right-left disorientation, inverted writing, mild finger agnosia, andimpairments in fine motor abilities and visual motor coordination.

Results:

The client’s symptoms were consistent with DGS, though variability in her performance on assessments suggests compensatory strategies she may have developed throughout her life.

Conclusion:

Our client demonstrated similarities with previously reported accounts of DGS as assessed in adults. This case proposes further evidence for DGS as a syndrome and presents challenges to assessing DGS in high-functioning adults. The case highlights a need for a standardized testing battery to assess DGS.

Keywords

Neurological disorderfinger agnosiaacalculiaright-left disorientationagraphiadyspraxia

Information

Type
Case Report
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , First View , pp. 1 - 8
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Neuropsychological Society

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Footnotes

Jessica L. Mow’s current affiliations are Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco; Mental Health Service, VA San Francisco Healthcare System; and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of California, San Francisco.

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