Position of the Egocentric Reference and Directional Arm Movements in Right-Brain-Damaged Patients

doi:10.1006/brcg.1998.1005

Brain and Cognition

Volume 37, Issue 3, August 1998, Pages 405-418

https://doi.org/10.1006/brcg.1998.1005 Get rights and content

Abstract

We asked 12 right-brain-damaged patients (6 with left neglect signs and 6 without left neglect signs) to perform a straight ahead pointing task and a visual detection task with lateralized motor response, in order to investigate the relationship between the position of the egocentric reference and response time and accuracy in producing lateralized arm movements. Results showed that there was no correlation between the position of the egocentric reference and neglect signs, nor between the position of the egocentric reference and the latencies to direct a motor response toward either side of space. These findings were interpreted within the context of egocentric hypotheses of neglect. In particular, it was suggested that attentional or intentional neglect signs cannot be considered as a direct consequence of an ipsilesional deviation of the egocentric reference.

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Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) was defined 30 years ago as “a failure to report, respond, or orient to stimuli that are presented contralateral to a brain lesion, provided that this failure is not due to elementary sensory or motor disorders” by Heilman and Valenstein (1979). Even though this definition still holds, the last 30 years have been characterized by a profusion of clinical descriptions, neuroanatomical investigations and theoretical models of neglect. This article summarizes the wealth of neuroanatomical, clinical and experimental data concerning USN, by focusing on attentional and spatial deficits. Finally, some perspectives on neglect research are outlined.
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Spatial attention: Normal processes and their breakdown
2003, Neurologic Clinics

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^☆

Supported by grants from the Région Rhône-Alpes (ARRASH and Thématique contracts) to the first author and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche to the second author. Thanks are due to Dr. C. Loeper-Jény and to the administration and staff of Hôpital National, Saint Maurice, France. We are grateful to Dr. A. Chatterjee and two anonymous referees for helpful comments.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Sylvie Chokron, Service de Neurologie, Fondation Opthalmologique Rothschild, 25 rue Manin, 75019 Paris, France. Fax: (0033)-01-48-03-68-59. E-mail:[email protected].

^☆☆: P. ThierH. O. Karnath

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Regular ArticlePosition of the Egocentric Reference and Directional Arm Movements in Right-Brain-Damaged Patients☆,☆☆

Abstract

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Brain and Cognition

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

Neuropsychologia

The relationship between visuospatial and representational neglect

Neurology

Beyond unilateral neglect

Brain

Les moyens expérimentaux de réduire les symptômes d'héminégligence

Bulletin du Cercle de Neurologie Comportamentale

Scanning direction and line bisection

Perception

Mesure de la préférence manuelle par autoquestionnaire dans la population francaise adulte

Revue de Psychologie Appliquée

Ipsilesional displacement of egocentric midline in neglect patients with, but not in those without, extensive right parietal damage

Parietal lobe contributions to orientation in 3D-space

Performance on hemispatial pointing task by patients with neglect syndrome

Neurology

Regular Article
Position of the Egocentric Reference and Directional Arm Movements in Right-Brain-Damaged Patients☆,☆☆