A new method for detecting unilateral spatial neglect with tracing tasks using the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure: a...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is a common deficit following brain injury, impacting daily function.
• Current screening tests for USN have limitations in sensitivity and specificity.
• The Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) copying task is a standard neuropsychological assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the ROCF tracing task as a novel tool for detecting USN.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of the ROCF tracing task with conventional USN screening methods.

Main Methods:

• The study included 40 healthy controls (HC) and 20 right brain-damaged patients (10 with USN, 10 without).
• Participants completed the ROCF tracing task, where lines were not retained on the sample figure.
• Data were analyzed using a 36-point scoring system, laterality index (LI), and overlap counts.

Main Results:

• The USN+ group exhibited a lower LI and higher total overlapping scores in the tracing task compared to HC.
• The ROCF tracing task's LI demonstrated moderate detection power (AUC=0.76), outperforming other tests.
• The total overlapping score showed high sensitivity (0.9) for detecting USN.

Conclusions:

• The ROCF tracing task is a practical and potentially more sensitive method for identifying USN.
• This task may also provide insights into the severity of spatial working memory impairments.