The inability to carry out a simple action when requested is commonly referred to as what?

The inability to carry out a simple action when requested is referred to as ideomotor apraxia. This condition is characterized by a disconnect between the idea of a movement and the ability to execute it. Individuals with ideomotor apraxia can understand what is being asked of them and can describe how to perform the action, but they struggle to carry out the physical motion when prompted. This is often seen in patients with lesions in the left hemisphere of the brain, particularly in areas like the parietal lobe, which are involved in motor planning and execution.

In contrast, Gerstmann's syndrome involves a cluster of symptoms, including agraphia, acalculia, finger agnosia, and left-right disorientation, but it does not specifically concern executing simple actions on command. Anosognosia is the lack of awareness regarding one's own condition, often seen in neurological disorders, but it does not directly pertain to the inability to perform requested actions. Agraphia specifically refers to the inability to write, which is unrelated to the execution of physical movements prompted by requests.