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Updated: May 27, 2026
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Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection
Published on: March 10, 2021
Paradoxical extension into the contralesional hemispace in spatial neglect
Bigna Lenggenhager1, Tobias Loetscher, Nicole Kavan
1Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. bigna.lenggenhager@gmail.com
Summary
Spatial neglect patients exhibit a heightened "representational momentum," a bias towards perceived motion direction. This suggests an overextension of space into the neglected side, impacting spatial perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Perception
Background:
- Spatial neglect is a neurological condition characterized by a failure to respond to stimuli on one side of space.
- Perceptual distortions in spatial neglect are not fully understood, particularly concerning the representation of space.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate perceptual distortions of space in spatial neglect.
- To examine whether neglect patients exhibit altered spatial representations, specifically "representational momentum."
Main Methods:
- Neglect patients, healthy controls, and right hemisphere controls judged the vanishing point of moving stimuli.
- Stimulus presentation hemifield and movement direction were manipulated.
Main Results:
- Neglect patients demonstrated a stronger response bias in the direction of stimulus movement ("representational momentum") compared to controls.
- A direction-specific effect was observed in neglect patients, with larger representational momentum for leftward-moving stimuli.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest neglect patients may show a relative overextension of space into their neglected side.
- Alternative explanations including impaired spatial remapping and visuo-motor movement distortions are considered.
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