Dressing apraxia in corticobasal degeneration

The present paper considers a patient with corticobasal degeneration and dressing apraxia. A 65-year-old woman developed difficulties in housekeeping 3 months prior to admission. Neurological examinations revealed mild dementia and asymmetric parkinsonism; the most conspicuous feature was dressing apraxia with constructive disabilities. Magnetic resonance imaging showed right temporoparietal atrophy. A 3-D brain perfusion imaging demonstrated a decrease in cerebral blood flow in the right perirolandic and perisylvian regions. These clinical and neuroimaging findings were compatible with corticobasal degeneration. Although various types of apraxia are associated with corticobasal degeneration, dressing apraxia has rarely been reported. Our case indicates that dressing apraxia can manifest as another neuropsychiatric problem in corticobasal degeneration if coexistent movement disorders remain mild early in the stage of the illness.