Recovery from visual neglect after right hemisphere stroke: does starting point in cancellation tasks change after 6...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Left visual neglect (VN) is common after right hemisphere stroke.
• Patients with VN often exhibit automatic rightward orienting in acute stages.
• Understanding attention bias evolution is key for effective stroke rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and changes in rightward attention bias in patients with VN post-stroke.
• To compare attention bias between patients with and without VN, and with healthy controls.
• To assess the relationship between attention bias, VN severity, and functional outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study with 43 stroke patients (with and without VN) and 49 controls.
• Behavioral Inattention Test (BITC) subtests to evaluate VN.
• Measurement of starting points in cancellation tasks to quantify rightward bias.
• Barthel Index (BI) for Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assessment.

Main Results:

• VN patients exhibited a significant rightward bias at baseline compared to non-VN patients.
• The magnitude of rightward bias decreased notably at 6-month follow-up in VN patients.
• While VN improved (BITC scores), attention bias symptoms persisted, differing between patient groups and controls.
• Favorable ADL outcomes were observed in 90% of VN patients and 100% of non-VN patients.

Conclusions:

• VN symptoms may improve post-stroke, but underlying rightward attention bias can persist.
• Attention bias remains detectable even after clinical VN improvement.
• Accurate and consistent measurement of attention bias is vital for clinical management after right hemisphere stroke.