Modulation of unilateral neglect as a function of direction of object motion

Neuroreport. 1999 Apr 6;10(5):1041-7. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199904060-00027.

Abstract

Unilateral neglect is a disorder involving difficulty in attending to the side of space contralesional to brain injury. Two recent experiments have shown that task-irrelevant background motion reduces neglect on line bisection tasks; however, task-relevant motion has not been assessed. We investigated the effect of task-relevant object motion on left neglect using a moving cube presented on a computer screen. Subjects responded to cued corners of the cube as it moved across the screen. Direction of cube motion had a significant impact on the magnitude of neglect. Responses to left hemispace targets appearing on a leftward moving cube were equal to patients' fastest responses. In contrast, responses to left hemispace targets appearing on a rightward moving cube were the slowest of all responses. These results demonstrate that contralesional object motion is capable of normalising neglect patients' detection of contralesional targets.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / physiopathology
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Motion Perception / physiology*
  • Orientation / physiology*
  • Reference Values
  • Time Factors
  • Visual Fields / physiology