Abstract
In recent years, the mechanism of voluntary movement has been clarified by neurological studies in monkeys. Planning neurons, programing neurons, and mirror neurons have been identified, and brain imaging studies have shown that these neurons are also present in humans. It is these neurons that may be affected in ideation apraxia (IA) . Here, we examine rehabilitation methods that may be effective in IA patients. We investigated aphasic patients' apraxia using a non-verbal method. In aphasic patients with IA, perception and cognition were preserved. Aphasic patients with IA showed low ADL scores at admission and discharge from the hospital, but apraxic patients improved their ADL score by rehabilitation. We evaluated the effect of intensive cooking training on right hemiplegic and aphasic patients with IA. The cooking abilities of the patients improved significantly after the intensive cooking training. However, we have not established methods of efficient training for IA patients. IA is thought to result from lesions to the pathway leading to establishment of the motor program at the frontal lobe. We propose that the rehabilitation of IA patients should include tool training without mistakes and repetitive use in an appropriate environment.
