[The delusion of place: contribution of the measurement of cerebral deficit].

The authors report the observation of a 61-year-old female patient who, following a right frontal-temporal ischemia, presented disorientation with respect to her surroundings. She was convinced during her hospital stay that her house had been transformed into a hospital. There was no evidence of intellectual confusion or deterioration, and the neuropsychological examination revealed visuo-spatial disturbances only. A low basal cerebral blood flow was found in the right anterior hemisphere which further decreased when the patient was asked where he was. It is hypothesized that confabulatory responses corresponded to a disinhibition of the left hemisphere from the control of the hemisphere dominant in dealing with visuo-spatial data.