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Virtual Reality Tools for Assessing Unilateral Spatial Neglect: A Novel Opportunity for Data Collection
Published on: March 10, 2021
Visual neglect as a disconnection syndrome? A confirmatory case report
Francesca Ciaraffa1, Gianmarco Castelli, Eugenio Agostino Parati
1Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.
Neurocase
|May 4, 2012
Summary
Severe left visual neglect resulted from damage solely to the right arcuate fasciculus white matter. This finding highlights the role of specific white matter tracts in visuo-spatial attention networks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Visual neglect is classically linked to gray matter lesions in the right hemisphere.
- Recent studies suggest white matter tract involvement, often alongside gray matter injury.
- The precise role of isolated white matter lesions in neglect is less understood.
Observation:
- A patient presented with severe acute left visual neglect.
- The cause was an ischemic infarct confined to the right cerebral hemisphere white matter.
- No gray matter injury was observed.
Findings:
- Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging tractography precisely localized the lesion.
- The injury affected the right arcuate fasciculus, a key white matter tract.
- This tract is part of the visuo-spatial attention network.
Implications:
- This case demonstrates that isolated white matter lesions can cause severe visual neglect.
- It underscores the importance of white matter integrity in large-scale attentional networks.
- Findings contribute to a broader understanding of neglect as a network disruption phenomenon.
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