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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
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Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection
Published on: March 10, 2021
Horizontal and vertical pseudoneglect in peri- and extrapersonal space
Ines Ann Heber1, Sarah Siebertz, Marc Wolter
1University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Department of Neurology, Germany. heber@neuropsych.rwth-aachen.de
Brain and Cognition
|June 12, 2010
Summary
This study found a leftward bias in visual spatial attention, known as pseudoneglect, which was stronger in near space. Vertical attention showed task-specific biases, suggesting depth influences spatial processing.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
- Spatial Attention
Background:
- Pseudoneglect, a leftward bias in visual spatial attention, is well-documented horizontally.
- The influence of depth and vertical orientation on pseudoneglect remains less understood.
- Right hemispheric dominance for visual spatial attention is a widely accepted principle.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of depth (peripersonal vs. extrapersonal space) on pseudoneglect.
- To examine horizontal and vertical attentional biases in three-dimensional virtual space.
- To explore dissociable neural mechanisms underlying spatial attention in near and far space.
Main Methods:
- Utilized virtual reality to present greyscales and landmark tasks in varied depth and orientations.
- Matched tasks for stimulus-response compatibility and perceptual factors.
- Recruited 18 healthy young participants to assess attentional asymmetries.
Main Results:
- A horizontal leftward bias (pseudoneglect) was observed in both tasks, stronger in peripersonal space.
- An upward bias was found in the greyscales task for vertical orientation, but not the landmark task.
- No significant correlations between horizontal and vertical processing suggest independence.
Conclusions:
- Depth significantly influences pseudoneglect, with greater bias in near space.
- Attentional processing in near and far space may involve dissociable neural mechanisms.
- Findings support right hemispheric dominance for visual spatial attention across different spatial dimensions.
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