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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
Large-scale changes in network interactions as a physiological signature of spatial neglect
Antonello Baldassarre1, Lenny Ramsey2, Carl L Hacker3
11 Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA 2 Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University of Chieti G. d'Annunzio, via dei Vestini 33, 66013, Chieti, Italy 3 Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. d'Annunzio University Foundation, University of Chieti G. d'Annunzio, via dei Vestini 33, 66013, Chieti, Italy.
Spatial neglect after stroke is linked to widespread changes in resting state functional connectivity across multiple brain networks. These altered brain network interactions are a key indicator of neglect severity, particularly after right-hemisphere damage.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neurology
Background:
- Spontaneous brain activity and its relation to behavior post-injury remain unclear.
- Spatial neglect, common after stroke (especially right-hemisphere), involves attention and motor deficits.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for developing targeted rehabilitation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between resting-state functional connectivity and spatial neglect after stroke.
- To identify specific brain networks and their interactions associated with spatial neglect.
- To explore the lateralization of these functional connectivity changes.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 84 first-ever stroke patients within 1-2 weeks of injury.
- Assessed spatial neglect using standardized behavioral tests (Posner cueing, Mesulam, BIT).
- Utilized resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to analyze functional connectivity across 10 defined brain networks.
Main Results:
- A principal component analysis identified a core factor of correlated neglect deficits.
- Abnormal functional connectivity patterns were observed across multiple networks, involving extensive cortical areas.
- Key findings include altered interhemispheric and intrahemispheric connectivity within and between networks, particularly involving dorsal attention and sensory-motor networks.
- These connectivity changes were more pronounced in right-hemisphere stroke patients and independent of lesion volume.
Conclusions:
- Large-scale alterations in resting-state network interactions serve as a physiological marker for spatial neglect.
- The observed patterns suggest a significant role for the dorsal attention and sensory-motor networks in spatial neglect.
- Findings highlight the right-hemisphere's lateralization in the neural underpinnings of spatial neglect and its associated functional connectivity changes.
