Cognitive rehabilitation of the hemineglect disorder in chronic patients with unilateral right brain damage

J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1992 Nov;14(6):901-23. doi: 10.1080/01688639208402543.

Abstract

Thirteen patients with a stabilized hemineglect symptomatology due to right-hemisphere lesions were subjected to a rehabilitation training specifically aimed at reducing the scanning deficit. The training consisted of four procedures (visual-spatial scanning, reading and copying training, copying of line drawings on a dot matrix, and figure description) which lasted 40 sessions. By the end of therapy, the patients as a group showed significant improvements on several standard tests of hemineglect. The results on a Semi-structured Scale for the Functional Evaluation of Hemineglect pointed to the extension of exploratory improvements to situations similar to those of daily life. In contrast, patients improved very slightly on a variety of standard visual-spatial tests, indicating the specificity of training in reducing the scanning defect. Seven patients were examined at a follow-up several months after the end of therapy and appeared stable on both standard and functional tests of neglect.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / physiopathology
  • Brain Damage, Chronic / rehabilitation*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiopathology
  • Cognition Disorders / physiopathology
  • Cognition Disorders / rehabilitation*
  • Dominance, Cerebral / physiology*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hemianopsia / physiopathology
  • Hemianopsia / rehabilitation*
  • Hemiplegia / physiopathology
  • Hemiplegia / rehabilitation*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Recall / physiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests*
  • Orientation / physiology
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology