Prism adaptation improves spatial dysgraphia following right brain damage

Visuo-manual adaptation to prisms produces a long-lasting improvement of visuo-spatial neglect. Improvement is also observed in tasks that do not involve visuo-manual component and that can all be consider to rely on a rightward (ipsilesional) orienting bias. Here, we report positive effects of prism adaptation on spatial dysgraphia, in a neglect patient following right brain damage. A long-lasting improvement concerned the right-page preference reflecting the ipsilesional bias but also the sloping lines and the broken lines reflecting visuo-constructive disorders in handwriting. Moreover, a transient improvement was also evidenced for the graphic errors. These results reinforce the idea that the process of prism adaptation may activate brain functions related to multisensory integration and higher spatial representations and show a generalization at a functional level. Prism adaptation therefore appears as useful tool in the theoretical attempt to identify the underlying 'core' mechanisms of the neglect syndrome.