Recovery of behavioral abnormalities after right hemisphere stroke.

We studied recovery of function in 41 patients with right hemisphere stroke. Recovery was rapid for left neglect, prosopagnosia, anosognosia, and unilateral spatial neglect on drawing (USN). Recovery was slower for h mianopia, hemiparesis, motor impersistence, and extinction. Rates of recovery were intermediate for constructional apraxia and dressing apraxia. Sex had no influence on the rate of recovery. Younger patients recovered from prosopagnosia more rapidly than older patients. Patients with smaller lesions recovered more quickly from anosognosia, USN, and hemiparesis than patients with larger lesions. Patients with hemorrhages recovered more rapidly from constructional apraxia, neglect, and motor impersistence than patients with infarcts. Recovery of function and the factors influencing recovery can by studied systematically by life table methods.