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Published on: July 31, 2019
Lateralization of egocentric and allocentric spatial processing after parietal brain lesions
Tina Iachini1, Gennaro Ruggiero, Massimiliano Conson
1Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy. santa.iachini@unina2.it
Brain and Cognition
|December 17, 2008
Summary
Right hemisphere brain lesions impair egocentric spatial processing, particularly in near space. Left hemisphere lesions affect both egocentric and allocentric spatial processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Spatial processing relies on distinct egocentric (self-centered) and allocentric (environment-centered) frames of reference.
- The parietal lobes play a crucial role in spatial cognition, but the specific contributions of the left and right hemispheres remain debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether left and right parietal brain lesions selectively impair egocentric and allocentric spatial information processing.
- To examine these impairments in both near and far spatial contexts.
Main Methods:
- The study utilized the Ego-Allo Task to assess distance judgments using egocentric and allocentric frames of reference.
- Participants included two Right-Brain-Damaged (RBD) patients, two Left-Brain-Damaged (LBD) patients, and eight healthy controls.
- A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and various visuospatial tasks were administered.
Main Results:
- Left-Brain-Damaged patients showed deficits in both egocentric and allocentric processing.
- Right-Brain-Damaged patients exhibited impairments in egocentric judgments, especially in near space, but not allocentric judgments or far space.
- RBD patients struggled with perceptual distance comparison, while LBD patients had difficulties with memory for distances.
Conclusions:
- The right hemisphere appears specialized for processing metric spatial information within egocentric frames of reference.
- Egocentric processing is closely linked to the perceptual control of action, suggesting a functional specialization within the right hemisphere.
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