Clinical assessment of hemispatial neglect: evaluation of different measures and dimensions

Clin Neuropsychol. 2007 May;21(3):479-97. doi: 10.1080/13854040600630061.

Abstract

The multidimensional nature of the neglect syndrome constitutes a challenge for clinical assessments. This study evaluates the sensitivity of different clinical measures to detect neglect and explores ways to evaluate the diversity of the syndrome in a clinical sample. An extensive battery of tests was used to examine aspects of visuospatial, representational, and personal neglect. A total of 31 normal control participants and 34 patients with right hemisphere stroke were examined 16.8 days post-stroke, on average. Of the patients, 24 showed neglect in at least one task. The Random shape cancellation test, Star cancellation, and two line bisection tasks appeared to be the most sensitive tests of visuospatial neglect. Personal neglect and neglect in far space occurred only together with extrapersonal neglect. Besides near space, other spatial aspects of neglect are important to consider in clinical assessments, but standardized methods are needed. In this patient group a minimum of 10 tests were needed to cover various aspects of detection, dissociations, and severity of neglect. A multifactorial approach in clinical testing of neglect is recommended.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Cognition / physiology
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests* / statistics & numerical data
  • Perceptual Disorders* / diagnosis
  • Perceptual Disorders* / physiopathology
  • Perceptual Disorders* / psychology
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology
  • Reading
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Visual Perception / physiology