Abstract
[Purpose] Ideomotor apraxia (IMA) is a disorder characterized by spatial or temporal errors in correctly performing intentional movements and making meaningful gestures. This study was performed to determine whether the arm IMA scores can be used to predict the leg IMA scores using the IMA test for the upper and lower limbs. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty stroke patients that showed complete paralysis of a hemiplegic limb were recruited for this study. All patients were right-handed with no unilateral spatial neglect or severe cognitive impairment. IMA of the upper and lower limbs was assessed by the arm and leg IMA test. Each test has 12 items, which require patients to reproduce movements by imitation immediately after presentation using the limb ipsilateral to the lesion. [Results] The arm IMA test showed a significant correlation with the leg IMA test. The leg IMA score was predicted by the arm IMA score according to a simple regression model that showed a significant coefficient of simple determination. [Conclusion] We found that the score of the arm IMA test is similar to the score of the leg IMA test in hemiplegic stroke patients. The arm IMA test is a good prognostic factor for predicting the relative degree of leg IMA. Furthermore, IMA of the upper limbs may contribute to the motor planning and execution of the movement strategy for the lower limbs.
