Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection
Published on: March 10, 2021
Unilateral spatial neglect: relation to rehabilitation outcomes in patients with right hemisphere stroke
Robert Gillen1, Howard Tennen, Tara McKee
1Department of Psychology, Sunnyview Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, Schenectady, NY 12308, USA.
Objective:
To examine the relation between left unilateral spatial neglect (USN) and rehabilitation outcomes in patients with right hemisphere stroke.
Design:
A retrospective analysis of a database of right hemisphere stroke patients.
Setting:
Acute inpatient rehabilitation hospital.
Participants:
Patients (N=175) with a diagnosis of right hemisphere stroke who had undergone a neuropsychologic screening including assessment of USN and depressive symptoms at time of admission to an inpatient rehabilitation program.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Functional status was evaluated with the FIM instrument at admission and discharge. The relationship between USN, depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning, length of stay (LOS), and rate of progress in rehabilitation was examined via univariate (correlational) and multivariate (Cox regression) analyses.
Results:
Patients with USN had longer LOS and progressed more slowly compared with those without USN. When matched against patients with equally poor functional status at admission, USN patients still had longer admissions and progressed more slowly.
Conclusions:
USN is a unique predictor of rehabilitation outcomes in patients with right hemisphere stroke. Identification of those specific functional skill areas most affected by USN may make possible the development of targeted interventions aimed at these key areas.
