Short-term effects of the 'rubber hand' illusion on aspects of visual neglect

The 'rubber hand' illusion was induced in a patient showing unilateral visual neglect, with the patient experiencing a shift in the felt position of his right hand towards a contralesional rubber hand. Immediately following the illusion, there were short- lasting reductions in neglect for bisecting about the midline and for cancelling multiple stimuli. No effects were found on the ability to encode briefly presented visual stimuli on the contralesional side. The data demonstrate that the illusion can temporarily alter some aspects of neglect, without altering basic visual encoding. The underlying mechanisms, and the relations to other rehabilitation procedures, are discussed.