Alexia without agraphia is typically due to a lesion in which region?

• A. Left Occipital Lobe and Posterior Corpus Callosum
• B. Left Frontal Lobe
• C. Right Parietal Lobe
• D. Brainstem

Answer: (A)

Alexia without agraphia arises when the pathway that converts visually perceived letters into language is disrupted, but the writing system remains intact. The classic pattern is a lesion in the left occipital lobe that includes the region processing visual word forms, along with damage to the posterior part of the corpus callosum (the splenium). This combination breaks the transfer of visual word information from the right hemisphere to the left-hemisphere language centers, so reading is impaired while writing ability stays preserved. In other words, the brain can produce written output, but it cannot access or decode the visual input needed to read, due to the disconnection between visual processing and language areas.