[Orientation and simultaneous visuospatial synthesis in dementia and depression].

The presented paper discusses the orientation processes and simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability in patients with dementia and depression. The disturbances of the orientation processes and the simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability have proved characteristic of patients with dementia. The disorder of simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability constituted one of the cognitive limits in patients with dementia. Patients with dementia aided themselves with long-term memory and the retrieval processes ability in the orientation processes. In patients with dementia simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability, orientation processes, attention, short-term memory, retrieval processes decreased together with progression of the dementia processes. The simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability in patients with depression was maintained at a high level. Memory and visuospatial learning and simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability reflected aptly the level of the orientation processes in patients with depression. Only patients with depression helped themselves with the simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability in the orientation processes. In ageing simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability decreased together with age. Notional abstract thinking was related to the orientation processes and the simultaneous visuospatial synthesis ability only in those ageing.