Hyperprosexia

Aprosexia, Hyperprosexia, and Paraprosexia are closely related medical and neuro-psychiatric phenomena associated with attention and concentration. They typically occurs in patients suffering traumatic brain injuries.

Aprosexia is an abnormal inability to pay attention, characterized by a near-complete indifference to everything.

Hyperprosexia is the abnormal state in which a person concentrates on one thing to the exclusion of everything else.

Paraprosexia is the inability to pay attention to any one thing (a state of constant distraction).

Etiology

Patients suffering traumatic brain injury experience profound disturbance of the basic functions of the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and intellectual systems. Such patients' ability to regulate interaction between the ego and the external world is greatly diminished and they typically exhibit inflexible, concrete and sometimes inappropriate behaviors.

References

• Ohry A, Rattok J. The 'hyperprosexia phenomenon' in traumatic brain injured patients (a forgotten term for an old problem). Neurological Rehabilitation Department, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. 1990.