Anosognosia for hemianaesthesia: from the syndrome to tactile awareness

Patients with a neurologically based loss of tactile processing on the contralesional side of the body can firmly deny the deficit (i.e., anosognosia for hemianesthesia). Previous studies attempted to feature the disease in both clinical and anatomo-functional terms. However, the picture is still incomplete and, most importantly, to date it is unclear whether and to which extent it can shed light on the mechanisms subserving tactile processing in the intact brain. Here we will briefly review the literature and we will put forward a possible anatomo-functional interpretation of anosognosia for hemianesthesia.