atopognosis

9.9

Being unable to tell where on your body you are touched

noun
/ˌætəˌpoʊɡˈnoʊsɪs/

Specialized

: atopognosis

Patients with atopognosis may not be able to indicate where they have been touched on their skin.

Examples

The neurologist tested for atopognosis by lightly tapping different parts of the patient's arm.
The patient suffers from atopognosis after the stroke.
Loss of sensation and atopognosis can indicate damage to the parietal lobe.
Doctors diagnosed her with atopognosis during the examination.
The neurologist tested for atopognosis to assess the patient's ability to feel touch in specific areas of their body.
Patients with atopognosis often struggle to pinpoint where on their skin they are being touched due to nerve damage.
During the neurological exam, the doctor assessed for atopognosis by asking the patient to identify locations of touch stimuli.

Synonyms

atopognosia

vsatopognosis

Specialized

9.9

A person who cannot tell where on their body they are touched

is caused specifically by neurological impairment rather than unspecified reasons

Antonyms

touch perception

Specialized

1 4.5

Ability to feel pressure, heat, or pain on the skin

Surface Forms

atopognosis singular

atopognoses plural

Morphology

atopognosis = topognosis (opaque) = a + topo + gnosis

Although analyzable as a- (negation) + topognosis, the components are technical Greek combining forms and the meaning is not inferable to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Atopognosis comes from Greek parts a- meaning 'without', topo- meaning 'place', and -gnosis meaning 'knowledge', and you can see topo- in topography (maps of places) and -gnosis in diagnosis (knowing). So, atopognosis means 'without knowledge of place', which explains why it is the inability to tell where on the body someone has been touched.