Apraxia

An inability to carry out purposeful movements despite normal muscle power and coordination. Apraxia is caused by damage to nerve tracts in the cerebrum (the main mass of the brain) that translate the idea for a movement into an actual movement. Damage to the cerebrum may be caused by a head injury, infection, stroke, or brain tumour. There are various forms of apraxia, each related to damage in different parts of the brain. A person with ideomotor apraxia is unable to carry out a spoken command to make a particular movement, but at other times can make the same movement unconsciously. In sensory apraxia, a person may not be able to use an object due to loss of ability to recognize its purpose.