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Disturbed sound lateralization in patients with spatial neglect
Ulrike Zimmer1, Jörg Lewald, Hans-Otto Karnath
1University of Tübingen, Germany.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|September 11, 2003
Summary
Patients with neglect often struggle with sound localization. This study found that severe neglect correlates with an inability to lateralize sounds, though some patients show only minor auditory shifts.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Auditory space perception studies in neglect patients yield conflicting results.
- Previous research focused on free-field sound localization or dichotic stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reassess auditory lateralization in patients with right hemispheric lesions, with and without neglect.
- To investigate the relationship between neglect severity and auditory spatial deficits.
Main Methods:
- Auditory lateralization tasks were performed by patients with right hemispheric lesions.
- Patients were assessed for the presence and severity of clinical neglect.
Main Results:
- Approximately half of neglect patients were unable to lateralize sounds.
- Remaining neglect patients showed a slight leftward deviation of the auditory median plane.
- Inability to lateralize sounds correlated with higher neglect severity.
- One patient with left brain damage and no neglect also showed impaired sound lateralization.
Conclusions:
- Auditory spatial deficits in right-brain-damaged patients may co-occur with neglect specifically when the right superior temporal cortex is lesioned.
- The severity of clinical neglect is associated with the degree of auditory spatial processing impairment.